


Who actually cares? Part IV! (Prompts)

by GoldenEmpire



Series: Prompts [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 1970s, Accidental friction, Adventure, Alpha - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Angst, Animal Characteristics, Anxiety, Ass Kink, Awkwardness, Big Ass, Blind Kiss, Bondage, Cabins, Camp Half Blood, Camp Jupiter, Canon Compliant, Cat Ears, Christmas, Closet Sex, Clothed Sex, Coffee, College!AU, Colours as Emotions, Cosplay, Couch Sex, Crushes, Dates, Dating, Deepthroating, Drunk Sex, Dubious Consent, End of the World, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, False Identity, Fingering, First Kiss, First Time, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies, Gay Sex, Getting Together, Heats, Height difference, Historical, Hospital Sex, Hunter - Freeform, Hybrid - Freeform, Immortality, Jealousy, Kissing, Kitchen Sex, Lighthearted, Long, Love Confessions, M/M, Mask, Masturbation, Mates, Mating, Mayflower, Midnight Kiss, Miscommunication, Mornings, Mpreg, Murder, Mystery, NSFW, New Year's Eve, OC, Omegaverse, One Shot, Overprotective, Pandemic - Freeform, Parties, Pets, Pining, Polyamory, Polygamy, Porn, Post-Canon, Power Bottom, Praise Kink, Pranks, Pregnancy, Prohibition, Public Sex, Quiet Sex, Rimming, Roleplay, Roommates, Sex Cam worker, Shorts, Shower Sex, Size Difference, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Spin the Bottle, Starcrossed Lovers, Superheroes, Teasing, Teenagers, Threesome, Throuple, Toxic Masculinity, Underage Drinking, Underwater Blowjob, Vaginal Sex, VideoGame, Vikings, Villains, Voyeurism, WW1, WW2, Water Sex, Werewolves, Worldbuilding, apocalypse!AU, black death, camboy!au, childhood best friends, cinderella!AU, dares, dirty - Freeform, eye colour, festive, fraternity, growth spurt, hiding in a closet, highschool!au, kidnap, kiss list, lake sex, omega - Freeform, prompts, ruts, saving life, secret kiss, shed, shower blowjob, spit for lube, supernatural! au, young relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2020-10-17 01:02:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 127,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20612348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenEmpire/pseuds/GoldenEmpire
Summary: I'm back! (And I'll try to see this through since you guys seem to enjoy it so much)You know the drill people, leave your prompts in the comments x~ let's get this bread!Chapters:Will/Nico - 2, 6, 11, 13Frank/Leo - 5, 8, 18Percy/Malcolm - 14, 20Percy/Leo - 15, 17Jason/Percy - 9, 19Jason/Leo - 12, 22Luke/Ethan - 16Jason/Nico - 21Luke/Percy - 7Percy/Nico - 4Nico/Leo - 3Threesome - 10





	1. INTRO

**HELLO GOOD PEOPLE.**

**ACCEPTING EVERY AND ALL COUPLES (no matter how niche or obscure) FROM THE PJO/HOO FANDOM AS LONG AS ITS GAY.**

**Also a heads up; I'm going to be uploading slower this year because I'm going to take my time with these stories so I only put out stuff I really like.**

_ **These are some gay ass stories so if you ain't about that then pls leave (whoever called me heterophobic last time I see you)** _

These stories will feature;

\- gay people

\- gay activities

\- angst

\- abuse

\- death

\- underage drinking/sex (by underage I mean at least 16 c'mon now)

\- threesomes

\- polyamory/polygamy 

WHAT I WILL NOT ACCEPT IN PROMPTS;

\- detailed descriptions of rape (mentions are alright if it's part of a story arc)

\- straight pairings (cause I cba)

\- pairings between an adult and a minor under 16

\- incest

\- necrophilia

ps. The credit for the art is what I found online, correct me if I got any wrong!

_ **Now for the main bois:** _

**Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis, 5'10**

** _(Art credit: Viria & di mimmdrawer003)_ **

**Frank Zhang, son of Mars, 6'3**

_ **(Art credit: Dani Stevens & Nicole Bresler)** _

**Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, 6'1**

_ **(Art credit: Viria & cherrysisters)** _

**Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, 5'6**

_ **(Art credit: Viria & ikumaru)** _

****

**Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, 6'3**

_ **(Art credit: Viria)** _

****

**Malcolm Pace, son of Athena, 5'8**

_ **(Art credit: ** _

** **

**Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, 5'7**

_ **(Art credit: Viria)** _

**Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, 6'0**

_ **(Art credit: Viria & vviaa)** _

**Will Solace, son of Apollo, 6'0**

_ **(Art credit: cookiecreation (second one))** _

**Smutty Chapters:**

3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20


	2. Heart Pain (Will x Nico)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter up! Hope you guys like it, leave your prompts below x

**Person A: Hey, what’s up!**

**Person B: I’ve been having heart pains lately,**

**Person A: Seriously, when did this start?**

**Person B: The pain started arou-**

**Person A: No, not the pain, the part about you having a heart. Didn’t think you had one.**

** **

The Second Giant War had been over for four months and Camp Half Blood slowly settled back into everyday reality of rebuilding, training and picking strawberries. Although many lives had been lost, the Demigods held their heads high and the newfound friendship with Camp Jupiter meant there were always plenty of people around, basking in the sun. With less monsters to fight, life was finally peaceful.

So why was Nico waking up in the middle of the night with his heart squeezing painfully?

It happened almost every night and although he, and many other campers, especially members of the Seven, were plagued by nightmares, Nico’s were different. They weren’t _nightmares _per say, just bizarre disjointed dreams that left him sitting up in bed and staring at the patterns the moon painted on the floor of the Hades cabin as it slipped in through the window. The circles under his eyes deepened, he was pale and thin and confused and wandered around camp like a ghost. People began to avoid him again.

Will featured a lot in the dreams, but Nico didn’t know why and when he woke up in the middle of the night all he could remember was the other boy’s smile and his golden curls, and not much else. It was confusing, and Nico’s anxiety was at an all time high but he couldn’t tell anyone; Will was, of course, the only one who noticed his condition since he was a doctor, but Annabeth and Percy were too lost in each other to pay attention to anyone else, getting over Tartarus together, and Jason and Piper were at Camp Jupiter with Frank and Hazel and Leo was _Gods _know where, with that girl he found on the island-

_Knock. Knock. _

“Come in,” Will looked up from where he had been writing down that Paolo had broken his arm _again, _and smiled when he saw the son of Hades awkwardly hovering by the entry to the medial bay. The last patient had just left and with the the sun setting outside Will was eager to close up and go to dinner, “Hey, Neeks. You look pale. Have you eaten today?”

Nico rolled his eyes, “Stop acting like my mum,” he entered and swallowed his nerves, wringing his hands out behind his back so that Will couldn’t see. This was important.

Will’s smile widened, his eyes crinkling in the corners. And there _it _was! That weird clenching pain in Nico’s chest again. He swallowed; what if he was dying? What if it was some horrible disease...?

“Nico?” Will frowned and stood up, looking down at the boy now, “Is everything okay? You _do _look awfully pale,” he went to touch the younger boy’s forehead, but Nico flinched away, panic gripping him.

“I’ve been having heart pains lately,” he blurted. Will blinked.

“Seriously, when did this start?”

“Um...,” Nico tried to remember, “the pain started arou-“

“No, not the pain,” Will interrupted, “the part about you having a heart. Didn’t think you had one.”

Nico stared at him in shock, mouth open. Then the doctor snickered and Nico glared, “Very funny, Solace.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Will grinned, and his easy-going attitude put Nico at ease a little, “You were saying that it started...?”

“Just after the War, I think,” Nico shrugged. Will looked at him expectantly. “What?” the boy asked, puzzled.

“Are you going to give me some details, or am I supposed to magically know what’s wrong?”

“R-Right,” Nico tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, staring intensely at the floor, “Um...I...it just kind of feels like there’s a fist around my heart, like, squeezing it. Sometimes it’s hard to breathe. It wakes me up at night.”

“Ah,” Will sat back down in his spinning chair and looked over Nico, “You can’t sleep then?” the son of Hades nodded his head, “Right. Not good. Uh...right...,” he pulled a sphygmomanometer out of a drawer and then pulled a stool in front of himself, “Sit, I’ll check your blood pressure.”

Nico sat, eyes flitting around. When Will pulled up the sleeve of his long-sleeved black shirt, Nico flinched. Will noticed, but didn’t say anything, and carefully wrapped the sphygmomanometer around his thin bicep. His touch felt searing and Nico focused intensely on the letters on the eye-exam poster on the wall behind Will’s head.

  1. _ F. P. T. O. Z..._

The sphygmomanometer tightened around Nico’s arm and he gritted his teeth. He hated this part, but could barely focus on his discomfort because of how close Will was. The son of Hades could feel the heat radiating off him.

“All done!” Will proclaimed cheerfully a moment later and undid the apparatus, and Nico exhaled, “Your blood pressure’s all normal,” the doctor tried to catch Nico’s eye but the boy refused to look at him, “Nico,” he said gently, “Tell me more about these pains. When do they come at night? Do you have nightmares?”

The fifteen year old squirmed, “They’re not _really _nightmares,” he said awkwardly, “They’re...they’re just weird dreams. Confusing. I can never remember them when I wake up but they happen very often.”

“I see...,” Will looked like he was beginning to understand something, “are those dreams about someone? Can you remember?”

Nico felt blood rush to his pale face. He didn’t want to tell Will, but he also didn’t want to die of some terrible heart disease, “I-I...,” he stuttered, “Um, t-there is someone. A-A boy I know. He’s always...he’s always...there.”

“Ah.” Will leaned away a bit, and Nico didn’t catch the pain that flashed through his eyes, “and when you think about this boy...does your heart hurt then?” Nico nodded shyly. Will exhaled, “Don’t worry Nico, you’re not sick. Or I don’t think so anyway.”

“I’m not?” Nico finally looked up, surprised. Will smiled gently.

“That weird pain in your chest? I think that means you’re in love, and the boy whose in your dreams is probably the one you’re in love with.”

_There. _That pain again, making Nico’s heart clench and his toes curl. He looked at Will in shock, face burning, and then realised what this all meant. He shot up into a standing position, knocking the stool over.

“I have to go!” he squeaked.

“Nico!” Will called after him, but the boy was already outside. Night was falling and he sprinted through the strawberry fields and between the cabins, shoving past confused campers heading to the dining pavilion. Nico reached the Hades cabin and once inside he slammed the door shut and collapsed against it, sliding to the floor, eyes wide and hands shaking.

He was in love with Will Solace.


	3. The Inches Between Us (Nico x Leo)

**Nico/Leo one where they're like around 18/19 and Nico had just gone through a massive growth spurt, so now Leo is the only short one. With his new height, Nico starts to tease and flirt with Leo a lot about his height and how cute he is, and Leo keeps trying to fight him off, despite how much he secretly enjoys everything Nico is saying. It keeps escalating (with everyone noticing) until one day the teasing gets too much for Leo and he throws himself at Nico and they do the do :-)  
for everythingiseverything**

** **

Nico spent the summer of his eighteenth birthday in his father’s palace; although after the Giant War he was hailed a hero and even had a small fan-club at Camp Half Blood (it was nowhere near as big as Percy’s, of course), he still preferred to be alone most of the time. That’s why his sudden and dramatic growth spurt went largely unnoticed in the Underworld.

“You’ve gotten tall,” Hades mentioned in passing at dinner one night, and that was that.

But now, as September rolled around and Nico returned to camp, he found that shockingly, he was eye to eye with Percy. The son of Poseidon stood opposite him at the entrance of the dining pavilion, where Nico had just shadow-travelled from the Underworld right in time for dinner. The boy’s face was shocked, mouth open and half-eaten breadstick squeezed in his hand.

“Nico?” he asked in bewilderment, as the other campers stopped eating and stared. Nico blinked.

“Yeah?” he asked tentatively. He still wore all black though he had grown out of his eye-catching aviator jacket, “Who else would it be?”

“I-I just-,” Percy spluttered, “Y-You’re so...,” he gestured at Nico clumsily with his breadstick, and although the angle of seeing the son of Poseidon was different now, Nico still had trouble putting two and two together.

“It’s nice to see you too, Percy...”

“Holy shit!” Leo popped up next to Percy, craning his neck up to look at Nico, “Are you _fucking _kidding me?”

Nico blinked, then something twisted in his stomach. Why was Leo so short? Had he shrunk in the time Nico was away? Had he always been so...the son of Hades looked for the right words to describe the curly-haired boy in his head; cute? Adorable? _Small?_

“I’m done!” Leo exclaimed, throwing his arms up dramatically. His fingers sparked, “How is this _fair?! _First Frank gets a magical makeover, now you’ve had a freak growth spurt! How about me dad?!” he yelled angrily at the sky, “I’m still five foot five you know!”

Nico snickered. Leo was like an angry garden gnome, barely reaching the Italian’s shoulder. Nico had always been only a few inches taller than Leo, and they had had some sort of secret alliance against Jason, Frank and Percy who towered over them. Clearly Leo saw the change in his friend’s appearance as the upmost betrayal.

The campers lost their interest in their commotion and returned to their food, though most whispered and continued glancing at Nico. From a brooding, awkward, kind of adorable boy he suddenly became tall and graceful and more handsome than before, his face lost some of its childish roundness and he looked lean and angular. Puberty had hit him later.

Leo was fuming. He poked Nico in the chest, “I hate you,” he grumbled.

_Cute, _Nico thought again, and his heart throbbed. From this angle he could see Leo’s curls bouncing, and he noticed how long his eyelashes were when he looked down.

“I’m sorry,” Nico lied, already deciding he would have some fun with this, “I didn’t make this choice.”

“Yeah, well, thanks for abandoning me in the short men club,” Leo grumbled and stormed off.

Percy continued standing there in shock, breadstick in hand.

***

After his initial outrage, Leo calmed down and his and Nico’s friendship lulled back to normal as the first weeks of autumn commenced, though Nico found subtle ways to tease Leo about their new height difference.

One sunny afternoon the two were in Bunker Nine, with Leo fiddling with some new project of his, and Nico sitting on the workbench at his side, keeping him company. He noticed that when once his legs would swing in the air when he sat here, now they touched the floor.

Nico and Leo had grown close over the last four years since Nico was a loner and Leo, who had broken up with Calypso, also felt left out as the ‘seventh wheel’ as he referred to himself – they spent many afternoons in the Bunker like this.

Leo muttered to himself as he tried to screw something into a metal block with a very fancy looking screwdriver. Nico had no idea what he was doing but he liked watching the boy, perhaps a little more than usual. He liked the way some curls had snuck out from beneath Leo’s red bandana, how sweat beaded on the bridge of his nose, the way he caught his bottom lip between his teeth in frustration.

“It’s the wrong screw!” Leo proclaimed for the third time that afternoon and threw his screwdriver onto his work-bench, annoyed. Nico fought a grin and watched as the Latino stalked over to a cabinet full of screws and surveyed it, before standing on his tiptoes and trying to reach the top shelf.

He failed miserably.

Leo jumped up, trying to grab a screw, and failed again, his face red with exertion. Nico watched him struggle for a bit, amused, and then decided to take mercy on his friend. He came up behind the boy, reached up and easily plucked the box of screws Leo had been reaching for.

“Hey!” irritated, Leo turned around and glared up at Nico, “I was managing.”

_He’s so close, _Nico realised, and swallowed, standing back and offering Leo the box.

“I’m sure you were,” he said dryly, and hurried back to the workbench.

***

Instead of getting used to the new inches between them, Nico’s teasing of Leo just seemed to grow worse as weeks went on. Nico found the boy’s angry reactions endearing, and couldn’t stop himself from riling the smaller boy up.

The son of Hades was practicing sword manoeuvres on a dummy in one of training pits one night, when Leo ran in. It was quite dark, with only the fires in the torches illuminating the pit, and Nico had been so invested in hacking away at the dummy that he had lost track of time.

“Hey!” Leo yelled, and Nico flinched at the sound of his voice but a plan already formed in his head and he didn’t react, continuing his training. Leo stopped beside him, hands on his knees panting, “Hey, y-you idiot,” he gasped for breath and Nico ignored him, “Do you know what time it is?”

Still nothing. Nico bit by a smile.

“Oi,” Leo wasn’t amused, “dipshit, seriously, we need to get back to the Cabins...”

Nico paused then, and looked thoughtfully at the sky.

“What’s wrong with you?” Leo snapped.

“Hmmm,” Nico mused, “It’s almost like I can hear something.”

Leo grew red, and angrily kicked Nico in the leg, “You prick!”

“Ouch!” Nico finally looked down at him, and grinned, “Oh! Leo! Didn’t see you down there.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed, “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

Nico smiled, a little sheepish.

The cry of the harpies reminded Leo why he had come here in the first place and the two boys looked at each other in panic.

“Come on!” Leo threw himself towards the Cabins, not feeling like becoming dinner for the night guards. Nico ran after him and, with his longer legs, could have easily overtaken the Latino, and yet they made it to the door at the same time.

***

“This was a _terrible _idea,” Hazel lamented as Frank leaned on her heavily. The small girl struggled to drag her boyfriend through the strawberry fields as the Seven, and Nico, snuck back to the Cabins after a night of heavily drinking in Bunker Nine.

“This was the _best _idea!” Percy proclaimed, skipping ahead.

“Percy!” Annabeth ran after him.

Nico trailed behind, not quite as drunk as some of the others – his newfound height had given him a higher alcohol tolerance and his lack of intoxication was making him moody now. That was, until Leo fell back to walk beside him. Or more like stumble.

“You okay?” Nico couldn’t fight a smile as he looked down at the Latino, who was zigzagging. Nico pulled one of his hands out of his pockets and grabbed the boy’s arm before he stumbled into a tree, “Hey, Leo?”

The others continued on, bickering.

“’m fine,” Leo slurred, eyes closed, feet folding over each other. Nico snickered.

“You’re so drunk.”

“Shuup,” Leo tried to hit him but missed.

“Here,” the Italian stood in front of him, blocking his path. Leo blinked at him blearily, “Let me give you a piggyback.”

It took the Latino a moment to process, and then he pouted, “’m not a child!” he protested and tried to go around Nico. He tripped over a root and only Nico’s arm prevented him from falling to the ground.

“Come on,” Nico said, then his voice lost its teasing edge, “It’s not because you’re short. It’s because you’re drunk.”

“Promise?” Leo asked with suspicion.

“Promise.”

That was all it took for Leo to happily climb onto his friend’s back, wrapping his legs around Nico’s waist and his arms around his neck. He nuzzled his face between the boy’s shoulders and Nico smiled as he carried him. He basked in the warmth of the boy, in the way he was relying on him, and couldn’t help but want to clutch him closer.

***

“Hey, shorty,” Nico leaned his arm on top of Leo’s head, peering over the boy’s shoulder. The irritated Latino pushed his welding helmet into his hair and glared at the Italian, shrugging his arm off.

“Don’t call me that,” he grumbled.

“What do you want me to call you then?” Nico asked with a shit-eating grin worthy of Percy, “Garden gnome? Fun sized?”

Leo’s eye twitched, “It must be the air.”

“The air?”

“The air up there,” Leo gestured above Nico’s head, “That’s making you act like a prick.”

“I’m only teasing,” Nico said.

“Yeah, well,” Leo turned his back to the Italian, “It’s not funny.”

Nico fought a pout and looked at the boy’s back and then got the brilliant idea. He picked the boy up and tucked him under his arm with more ease than he should have, and then ran out of the forge with the yelling boy as his siblings looked on.

“Put me down!” Leo screamed as Nico laughed and ran into the sunny strawberry fields. Leo squirmed, his welding helmet falling off, “I’m not a toy!”

He punched Nico in the stomach and the Italian stumbled and the next thing he knew was that both he and Leo were on the ground. The Latino groaned as he smacked his head against the grass and the campers who had been collecting strawberries looked on curiously.

“Shit,” Nico pulled himself up a little, “I’m-,” he paused, his nose filling with the smell of caramel. Leo was directly below him and so _close. _“S-Sorry,” Nico mumbled, staring down at him.

“You squished me!” Leo complained, seemingly unaware of their proximity. He shoved Nico off, face burning, and jumped to his feet, “Why do you always have to do that?!” he yelled, and Nico saw genuine anger in his eyes.

“W-What?” he asked, confused, “I was just joking.”

“I thought you were different!” Leo exploded, fuming, sparks dancing between his fingers, “All the others treat me like I’m less than a man, like I’m some cute pet or a toy, they can just pick on me, I’m not even properly one of the boys!”

“Nico, what are you-“

“Oh Percy this!” Leo faked the fawning fan girls the heroes had, fluttering his eyelashes, “Oh wow, Frank and his muscles! Oh Jason and his scar in the shape of a fucking staple! How brave, how heroic!”

Nico picked himself up off the ground, towering over Leo which just seemed to make Leo more mad, “Leo, nobody thinks any less of you because of your _height.”_

Leo snorted, “Oh right,” he crossed his arms over his chest but some of his anger evaporated. “You didn’t treat me like this before you got all tall. I thought we were friends.”

“We _are _friends,” Nico reached for him, but Leo stepped back.

“No we’re not,” he said bitterly, “Now you’re one of the cool guys, and you’re treating me like a kid.”

Nico’s heart clenched. He hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this. He just loved seeing Leo all flustered and blushing and spluttering. He never paid it much thought before now. His shoulders slumped and he opened his mouth to apologise but Leo was first.

“Whatever,” he turned on his heel and stomped back towards the forge. Nico looked helplessly at the sky.

***

Leo’s anger didn’t last long but Nico couldn’t help but feel there was some distance between them for the next few weeks, and Leo acted a little coldly towards him. That’s why to reconcile Nico asked Leo to come to Olive Garden with him. Leo agreed, because Nico was paying and also because he _loved _pasta.

They snuck out of Camp and took a taxi into town and soon enough they were exiting the chilly autumn night and entering the restaurant. A smiling, pretty hostess came up to them.

“A table for two please,” Leo said politely as Nico hovered anxiously behind him; he hated social interactions with strangers.

“Of course,” despite the fact it was Leo who was speaking, the hostess still openly checked Nico out, looking over Leo’s head and acting as if he wasn’t even there. The Latino fought an eye-roll. Tall boys got everything.

He forgot his irritation when he and Nico were led to a little secluded table in the corner. A candle burned in a centre and a single red rose stood in a vase.

“Can we get starters?” Leo asked, flipping open his menu like an excited kid.

“No,” Nico deadpanned.

“What about desert?” Leo batted his eyelashes at Nico. The Italian’s heart clenched.

“Maybe...”

Leo smiled brightly and looked over the options. His smile died and he glared at the oblivious hostess by the door.

“What?” Nico asked.

“The bitch gave me a kid’s menu,” he plucked Nico’s out of his hands without asking and started scanning the options, “Hmmm...the lasagne looks good...but so does the fettuccini alfredo...”

A waitress materialised by their side with a notepad and a pen, “Good evening. Can I get the lovely couple any starters or drinks?” she asked with a warm smile.

Leo and Nico froze, then looked at each other, then realised what this looked like.

“N-No!” Leo spluttered as Nico turned bright red.

“No starters or drinks?” the waitress asked, puzzled, “Maybe some tap water?”

“N-No, I-I mean yes!” Leo tried to compose himself, “I-I mean-“

He was a clumsy mess and so Nico silenced him by reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. Leo looked at him wide-eyed.

“We’ll have two tap waters please,” the Italian mumbled, eyes glued to the table.

“Alrighty!” the waitress replied cheerfully, “I’ll give you guys a moment to decide on food.”

When she walked off Leo snatched his hand back. Nico’s palm felt warm where they had touched.

“What was that?” Leo hissed. Nico shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

“You were like a fish out of water.”

“She thought we were together_,” _Leo whisper-yelled, arms flailing, “Like together _together.”_

Nico rolled his eyes, “So? What’s the big deal?”

Leo opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again, then sagged in his seat, “You’re right,” he admitted and, still blushing, looked back to the food options. Nico reached across the table and grabbed the kid’s menu. They didn’t make eye contact for the rest of the dinner and drove back to Camp in silence.

When they reached Camp everyone was already in their Cabins, but Nico didn’t want the night to end, even if there was a weird tension between him and Leo – he wanted to make sure the two were okay.

“Here,” he grabbed the Latino’s arm when Leo turned to trek to the Hephaestus cabin, “Come hang out.”

Leo didn’t protest and the two of them slipped into the dark Hades cabin. Nico flipped on the lamps and they emitted a low, golden, atmospheric light – Nico didn’t have an overhead, bright lamp because he preferred darkness. They had been alone together many times before, but now the waitress’ words hung over them and it felt weirdly intimate.

Leo was fidgeting uncomfortably in the middle of the room.

“What’s wrong?” Nico asked, standing across from him. Leo shrugged.

“Nothing,” he muttered.

Nico chewed on his lip, feeling self-conscious, “It was a joke,” he said quietly, “The dating thing. I didn’t realise it’d upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” Leo blurted, “I just...,” his hands squeezed and un-squeezed into fists at his side, “Everything’s changed since you got tall.”

Nico exhaled, “You’re imagining it. I’m still me.”

“Yeah, but...,” Leo gestured at him, “You’re a _different _you.”

“Different how?” Nico frowned.

Leo groaned in frustration, “I don’t _know. _You seem more confident. You pick on me more. Now there’s waitresses staring at you...,” the Latino trailed off.

“Hey,” Nico took a step towards hi friend, “I’m sorry,” Nico realised with a start, suddenly, that Leo might be insecure about his height, “I didn’t choose to have this growth spurt, and I never meant to make you feel...shitty. I’ll stop teasing you.”

“No!” Leo blurted, face red, “I-I mean...I d-don’t mind...I-I a-actually...I actually kind of like it,” he was acting weird; fidgeting and blushing. Nico’s heart fluttered.

“You like me teasing you?”

Leo shrugged, red faced and looked away, “I...liked that you pay attention...to me.”

Nico’s heart started to pound and he flushed with warmth. Before he knew what he was doing – and not quite comprehending his emotions – he surged forward, grabbed Leo’s heated face in his hands, and crashed their mouths together.

The kiss ended as quickly as it started and Nico jumped back, “I-I’m sorry!” he exclaimed, face beet-red. Leo stared at him open-mouthed, “I-I didn’t mean to...I-I mean I _did _mean t-to, I-I just meant to a-ask first, I...,” he stopped, defeated.

Leo stared at him for a second, then marched over to the bed and climbed onto it. He stood, towering over Nico.

“Come here,” he said, and the son of Hades timidly approached him, afraid that Leo was going to punch him or something.

Instead, when he got close enough, Leo grabbed him by his shirt and pulled them closer. In this position they were the exact same height. Warmth radiated off Leo and Nico’s eyes fluttered to the boy’s lips.

Leo took Nico’s face in his hands the way the Italian had moments ago, but much more gently, and pressed their mouths together. The gentle touch of lips lasted only a second for the moment Leo tasted Nico he threw his arms around the boy’s shoulders and squeezed him close and started to kiss him passionately and clumsily.

Nico was overwhelmed; he hadn’t realised he had all these feelings for Leo brewing inside of him, not until now...but it all made sense, all the weird thoughts and feelings he wasn’t able to place before. The Italian wrapped his arms around the Latino’s waist, leaned into the kiss and pulled their bodies flush against each other. Their tongues tangled, erratic breaths mingled, Leo’s fingers slid into Nico’s hair, their noses squished together, their teeth clanked, and it was the most perfect kiss.

Until Leo wobbled on the edge of the bed and both of the boys went flying down onto it. Nico landed painfully on top of Leo, the way he had in the strawberry fields, but instead of tossing him off the Latino wrapped his legs around Nico’s waist and pulled the Italian down for another hungry kiss. Nico could barely keep up with Leo’s ferocity but he was more than happy to be swept up in the other boy.

They laid there, tangled together with tongues shoved down each other’s throats like they weren’t going to see each other again, like the other would disappear. Months of sly glances and biting lips had culminated in this moment of realisation and the hands of the two teenagers were soon frantically tugging at each other’s clothes and pulling t-shirts over heads.

“Have you done this before?” Nico asked, leaning back to shuffle out of his jeans. His hair was a crumpled mess and he looked sexy and alluring and Leo for a moment couldn’t comprehend the question.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”

Nico froze, eyebrows shooting up, “Really? With who?”

Leo shrugged and shimmied out of his jeans, “Calypso. Then there were these two boys in Texas over the summer...”

“You know what?” Nico shoved him back down onto the bed, eyes stormy, “I don’t want to know.”

Leo grinned, “Are you jealous?”

“Shut up,” Nico kissed him, then fumbled in the bedside table.

“What are you looking for?” Leo asked, voice muffled by Nico’s mouth.

“Lube,” the boy pulled away when his fingers closed around the bottle. Now it was Leo’s turn to look surprised.

“That’s unexpected.”

“I’m _gay.”_

Leo shrugged, “I know, I just...,” he bit his lip, “How many people have you slept with?”

Nico swallowed, “None.”

Leo’s eyes bulged, “_What?” _

He tried to sit up but he was once against shoved down and Nico hovered over him, “It’s fine,” he said, “I know what I’m doing.”

“You sure seem like it,” Leo agreed breathlessly, and slumped against the pillows as Nico poured the lube over his fingers, “So we just assuming I’m bottoming because I’m shorter?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nico blinked, then rolled his eyes, then grabbed Leo by his ankle with his clean hand and pulled him down the bed.

“No,” he said, kissing the boy’s forehead, “You’re bottoming because your ass is amazing. You can have a go at me next time.”

“Next time?” Leo asked quietly. Their eyes met, a million unspoken things shared between them, then Nico kissed Leo desperately and the Latino gasped when he felt the boy’s fingers enter him. He was used to it, having masturbated many times himself, and yet it felt weird to know that it was _Nico _who was touching him. He was a little tentative, and shy, and Leo had to urge Nico to push another digit in, but it was good. Throbbing pleasure surged through Leo; sure, they might have skipped a few important steps before now and sped through stuff, but they were just desperate to...what? Become each other’s?

“C’mon,” Leo muttered impatiently after a minute of prep, “I’m not a virginal maiden, just put it in me.”

Nico seemed more affected and he looked a little drunk but he nodded and reached for a condom.

“Let me,” Leo said, and Nico shivered violently when the Latino touched his cock. Leo poured lube into his hand and smeared it over the son of Hades’ erection, and Nico moaned.

Excitement buzzed in Leo; he couldn’t believe this was happening, hadn’t even known he had wanted this till very recently...

“Ready?” Nico asked, and Leo nodded eagerly, biting his lip.

That’s when a moment of awkwardness came because Leo had to shuffle down the bed to reach the Italian’s member, putting his face at the height of Nico’s collarbone. Undeterred, the Latino wrapped his legs around the other boy’s waist and shivered when he felt the tip of his wet erection slide along his ass.

“Ready,” he whispered.

Nico reached down and grasped his cock, before slowly pushing it into Leo. They both moaned at the feeling as the Italian sunk into Leo’s delicious heat, slumping against the pillows above Leo’s head at the heavenly feeling.

“N-Nico,” Leo gasped, pinching his sides, “Can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” Nico pushed himself up on his trembling arms and looked down at Leo. The boy was flushed and wide eyed and had to crane his neck to make eye-contact. Nico wanted desperately to kiss him and so he leaned down, but he couldn’t quite reach. They both giggled and Nico kissed Leo’s curls.

“Fucking giant,” Leo huffed under his breath.

“Stupid garden gnome,” Nico thrust into him shallowly and Leo moaned gently, hands reaching up to grip Nico’s wrists above his head.

Nico wasn’t really sure what he was doing, but being inside Leo felt insanely good, so he began thrusting; slowly at first, afraid he’d hurt the boy.

“G-Go faster,” Leo whispered feverishly, “P-Please...I-I won’t break...”

But he was so tiny, and Nico was afraid, and yet his instincts took over and in moments he was pounding into Leo, so hard that the boy shifted up and down the bed and the headboard smacked against the wall. Moans of pleasure filled the cabin and Leo didn’t hold back, whining and gasping and whispering Nico’s name like a mantra, making the Italian’s head spin. He wanted to kiss the boy so badly, but he was too far down so Nico just ended up cradling the boy into his chest and clutching onto him as he fucked him.

He had wanted this for so long, he just hadn’t realised.

“_Neeks,” _Leo whined, toes curling, “I-I...it’s...”

“Holy fuck,” Nico panted.

He saw Leo’s hands start to spark and he quickly pinned his wrists above his head and Leo moaned louder, before suddenly squeezing his legs around Nico, almost painfully.

“Wait,” he whispered, and Nico stilled, panicking that he did something wrong, “Sit up.”

“What? Why?” he asked, dizzy.

“Just do it,” Leo commanded, then whimpered when Nico pulled out of him. The aroused and confused Italian sat with his back against the headboard, and his eyes widened when Leo clambered into his lap.

He slipped back onto Nico’s cock like he belonged there and cried out, back arching. Nico was mesmerised.

“W-Why...,” he gripped Leo’s hips, “Why the change of position?”

Leo smirked and threw his arms around Nico’s shoulders, “So I can do this,” he said, and their mouths finally met in the long-awaited kiss.


	4. Lilac (Percy x Nico)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for slightly changing this prompt and making it a little less light-hearted but I really enjoyed this idea and kind of ran with it lol. Hope y'all like it!

**Percico highschool au where peoples eye change colour based on their moods and whenever Nico’s with Percy his eyes show that he happy or flustered but whenever he's alone they’re grey or something? Percy never notices until one of his buddies points it out and he makes it his mission to change the boys mindset and they makeout and do gay shit  
for Shinah**

** **

** _Monday._ **

_...in our world humans have developed the ability to show their emotions through the colour of their iris. This is a fairly new development in our evolution and scientists are still unsure of what each colour means specifically, and if the difference in shades indicates a variety in emotion or rather depends on the person’s eyes-_

Percy Jackson slammed his backpack on the dark-haired boy’s table, and the boy jumped, startled out of his reading. He looked up from the textbook he had been reading, at the grinning boy towering over him.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Percy said teasingly, “Colour theory again?”

Nico di Angelo rolled his eyes and hurriedly shut his textbook as Percy slid into the seat next to him, “Morning, and yes,” the Italian boy mumbled as Percy happily started to take his books out of his bag. His eyes were a mixture of amber and gold, all twirled together like one of the beautiful autumn leaves outside – Nico didn’t fail to notice, he never failed to notice the change in Percy’s eye colour, and had learned all the possibilities off-by-heart; the orange in the boy’s irises undoubtedly meant excitement right now for the school day to begin, or perhaps it stood for friendship as he sat next to Nico. The yellow was for calm at being back in his usual seat, or for happiness.

Nico chewed his lip and stared at Percy out of the corner of his eye, before quickly looking away when the boy turned to face him.

“So?” Percy prompted, and the orange flooded his eyes; excitement.

Nico stared at his closed textbook, “So?” he asked quietly.

“How was your weekend?” Percy prompted.

Nico shrugged, “Boring.”

Percy sighed, “You should have come to Piper’s party. I got her to invite you and everything.”

Nico shrugged again.

He and Percy were childhood friends that grew up on the same street and had been inseparable since they were seven. Even when they entered high-school and accepted their differing social roles they remained friends, though Nico still somehow didn’t understand why. Percy was part of the popular crowd, a ‘jock’ in every respect – he was part of the swimming team and on the rugby team, and got invited to all the parties and thanks to his height and broad shoulders got all the girls. Nico, on the other hand, never got a growth spurt and remained awkward and lanky and pale and anti-social. He was riddled with anxiety, had few friends and the thought of drinking or dancing terrified him.

And yet, somehow, Percy remained at his side, oblivious to Nico’s stupid, helpless love for him.

The Italian stared at the table; recently, as he had grown more aware of his feelings, he had been terrified that his eye colour might betray him and so he avoided looking at Percy whenever he could. Most of the time, when he was alone at home, he knew his eyes were a dull grey colour but he could never tell what colour they’d become when Percy showed up. Just not lilac.

The teacher came into the classroom and told everyone to quiet down. Percy leaned into Nico.

“Annabeth’s hosting a party on Friday,” he whispered, “_please _come.”

Nico pulled a face, “You literally went to one yesterday. What’s so fun about getting pissed and stumbling around someone’s living room?”

“You’ll know if you come,” Percy said, nudging Nico with a grin. The boy rolled his eyes.

“I’ll think about it.”

Someone like him would never get invited to a high-school party in a million years, but everyone loved Percy and all he had to do was ask if his awkward, emo friend could tag along.

Nico was scared, though. What if he got drunk and his eyes betrayed him? But it’d be dark..._no, I’m not going._

** _Tuesday._ **

Leo licked at his ice-lolly and looked out across the parking lot.

“Oh look, it’s Nico.”

His friends followed his gaze and saw the Italian weaving between the parked cars, walking his bike, earbuds in his ears, dressed all in black despite the warm weather. His eyes were granite, a depressing grey. Leo wasn’t sure what that meant but he just knew it wasn’t good; he hadn’t been in many situations when people’s eyes turned that colour, but he noticed that with the Italian grey was almost a neutral state for him.

“He looks sad,” Piper remarked.

“He always looks sad,” Annabeth interjected, then added, “Percy invited him to my party.”

“Like he’d come,” Frank muttered, “What’s Percy’s obsession with him anyway?”

Annabeth shrugged, “I don’t mind, he seems alright. And you _know _ what Percy’s obsession with him is, Frankie.”

“Seeing him drunk would be fun,” Piper mused, “Too bad he couldn’t come to mine.”

“I’m going to go peer pressure him,” Leo said with a mischievous grin and before any of his friends could stop him he dashed towards the boy.

“Hi Nico!” he exclaimed, jumping out in front of his bike. Nico flinched and his eyes flashed pink – the colour of surprise – before reverting back to their normal grey, though some dark green filtered through like paint being dropped into a murky pot of water; Nico was anxious. Even though Percy’s friends were lovely Nico always felt terribly intimidated by them and even though Percy tried to force them to hang out, Nico always bailed. The thought of being surrounded by these gorgeous, confident people made his anxiety spike up.

“H-Hi,” he stuttered, pulling his earphones out.

“Percy said you’d be coming to the party on Friday,” Leo’s eyes blazed orange. Nico swallowed, glanced to the side and saw Percy’s friendship group leaning against the wall of the school building where they always waited for Percy to finish swimming practice. Nico tended to bump into them because he liked to help out at the library after class. Percy’s friends waved at him and Nico’s eyes turned more green. He tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear.

“I-I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet,” he told the Latino.

“Well, you should,” Leo replied, “Everyone’s coming and I know it would mean a lot to Percy.”

“Y-Yeah, I just...I don’t really drink,” _more like I’ve never drank before._

“Oh that’s fine!” Leo said, “Nobody’s going to force you. It’s a little thing really, we’ll play a bunch of games, talk, have snacks. It’s more a sleepover than a party.”

Nico smiled palely, “Yeah. I’ll think about it. Thanks.”

He was about to escape the uncomfortable situation when he heard another shout, “Nico!”

He turned and saw Percy heading towards the group, grinning, hair still damp from his swimming practice. He was beaming, and his eyes golden with happiness, and Nico felt his heart jump painfully. His fingers clenched around his bike and he tried to keep calm even as his eyes fluttered to the side.

_Please stay grey, _he chanted in his head, _please stay grey._

But they didn’t and Leo noticed. He watched with curiosity as they flashed a multitude of colours that the approaching Percy didn’t notice; first a second of dark blue, then light green, then red, pink, then, for a terrifying second, flooded completely black, before settling on a lilac.

Leo fought a smile and pretended he didn’t notice.

Blue for fear, light green for insecurity, red for shame, pink for confusion, black for anxiety, and then lilac...well, lilac for...

“Hey,” a slightly out of breath Percy reached Leo and Nico and threw his arm around the latter’s shoulders. Nico flinched inside himself and wished the ground would swallow him up, but it didn’t. Instead things got worse when Percy’s friends approached and greeted him.

“Why are you guys bullying my friend?” Percy teased light-heartedly.

“We’re not,” Leo said proudly, “We’re only peer-pressuring him.”

“Oh, about the party?” Percy perked up.

“Yeah,” Annabeth smiled at Nico, “You’ll come, right?”

Nico felt like he was going to have a panic attack but he nodded and quickly looked at his shoes, “Sure,” he squeaked. _They’ll notice, Percy will notice. _He wanted to get out of this situation.

Now it was Piper’s turn to notice his lilac eyes, and she exchanged a knowing look with Leo, confirming what they all already knew. Then she frowned, as she saw the boy’s eyes begin to darken.

“Neeks, why don’t you come round and play videogames with me?” Percy asked,

“Oi!” Jason complained, “What about getting Chipotle?”

“Nico, you wanna come Chipotle?”

“Hey he’s _my _friend back off!”

Laughter, words, Nico was so overwhelmed. He wanted to lean into Percy’s arm, bury his face in his chest and cling onto him because it was all too much, but he _couldn’t. _

His eyes settled on black.

“Alright!” Piper exclaimed and pulled Percy’s arm from around Nico’s eyes. He blinked in surprise and his eyes returned to his normal bleak grey, “We should stop bothering the kid. Let’s get our Chipotle.”

She smiled warmly at Nico and he smiled tentatively back.

“See you on Friday!” she called and led her friends off. Grumbling, Percy glanced over his shoulder and pouted at his friend, and Nico gave him a shy wave and then left the school with his bike.

“Why do I feel like you guys want to intercept my friend?” Percy complained as they picked their bags off the ground and headed out the gate. Nico was long gone and Percy felt disappointed.

“God, you’re thick,” Piper snickered.

“What?” Percy blinked.

“His eyes went black,” Annabeth said, matter-of-fact. Percy looked at her quizzically.

“Uh...what’s black for again? I’m shit at colour theory.”

“Anxiety. He was panicking.”

“Panicking?” Percy didn’t understand, “Why? You were all super nice.”

“Nico doesn’t seem like he’s a people person,” Hazel said gently, “Maybe he was just overwhelmed.”

Percy bit his lip, “But then...will he freak out at the party?”

Leo sighed dramatically and put his arm around Percy’s shoulders, but because of the height difference he was hanging off awkwardly.

“He won’t be,” Leo said, “Because you’re there.”

“Oh yeah,” Percy beamed, “I’ll take care of him.”

Piper sighed and slipped her arm through Percy’s. Annabeth smirked, “That’s not what he means,” Piper explained, “Have you ever paid attention to Nico’s eyes?”

“Um...,” Percy thought, “They’re quite big. And he has really nice eyelashes for a guy, I always tell him that.”

Reyna smacked him upside the head, “Not _that, _idiot. His eye _colour.”_

Percy’s eyes turned pink with confusion, “What? Eye colours change constantly, right?”

“Yes,” Annabeth said patiently, “But most of the time Nico’s eyes are grey. Like literally nearly all the time, or they’ll be grey mixed with some other colour.”

Percy frowned. Now that he thought about it, they were right, “What does grey mean again?”

“A lot of things,” Annabeth said, “loneliness, unhappiness.”

Percy stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes were engulfed by brown, the colour of worry, “Nico is unhappy?”

“See, here’s the thing,” the group circled Percy and Piper continued as Jason and Frank exchanged confused looks, “Most of the time Nico’s eyes are grey, except when he’s with you. Then they’re usually light purple.”

“Lilac,” Annabeth corrected.

“What’s lilac?” Percy asked in a small voice.

Annabeth sighed, “Lilac represents a few emotions; it can mean someone is flustered, or anticipating something. Or it can mean...”

** _Wednesday._ **

Nico hated coming to these things but he had missed the last two Wednesday games and Percy had _begged _him to come and his face always lit up when he did and his eyes always turned the warmest shade of orange from excitement, and Nico was head over heels for him so _of course _he’d come to this rugby game even if he didn’t understand the rules.

He sat at the edge of the bleachers and huddled in his black coat, hood pulled up. It was an evening game, and it was freezing and drizzling, and the huge, bulky forms of the players raced across the field, illuminated by massive, towering floodlights. The bleachers were alive with students and families, whose wild cheers could probably be heard in the neighbouring county as they urged on their boys.

Nico personally wasn’t even sure which team Percy was on but he watched intently anyway, flinching when the players tackled each other to the muddy field.

Piper, Hazel, Calypso, Reyna and Leo, who weren’t on the team, were further up the bleachers, screaming like banshees. They had called Nico over earlier but the thought of pushing through the throng of people to get to them made Nico feel sick so he just waved at them and sat alone.

Finally the game finished and the students flooded the pitch to find the members of their team. Percy ignored his friends clambering towards him, Frank and Jason, and he headed straight for Nico who hovered awkwardly near the end of the bleachers. He smiled at Percy.

“Congratulations,” he said breathlessly.

“We lost,” Percy’s eyes were deep blue as he stopped in front of his friend.

“Oh. Sorry,” Nico said. Percy grinned, the blue broken by streaks of yellow amusement.

“It’s fine, they’ll be other games,” he looked thoughtful for a moment, then leaned in close as if studying a scientific experiment. Blood rushed to Nico’s face and his heart started to pound and _oh my God is he going to kiss me? _and then he flinched back.

“W-What?” he squeaked, “I-Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Percy leaned back, eyes thoughtful, “Nothing. Sorry.” He smiled, “Thanks for coming to the game Neeks, I really appreciate it.”

Nico smiled, “You played really well.”

“You didn’t even know which one on the pitch I was, right?”

Nico snickered, “Nope, sorry. Still,” he patted his friend’s back and beamed, “Good game.”

** _Thursday._ **

In the afternoon Nico and Percy sat next to each other again as the teacher droned on about syntaxes and nouns, when Nico felt a wave of nausea hit him. Sweat broke out over his body and he had time to think _I had that dodgy Chinese yesterday _before he jumped to his feet and bolted out of the classroom.

He made it into the bathroom with seconds to spare and bent over the closest toilet without even closing the door before emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl. His world shifted, dark spots danced in front of his vision as he tried to breathe.

“Nico?” Percy’s concerned voice floated into the boy’s consciousness. He wanted to tell the boy not to worry but then he violently threw up again. He wiped his mouth and turned to see Percy standing in the entrance to the cubicle.

“Hey buddy,” Percy said softly, “You okay?”

Nico nodded, “I knew not to trust the lemon chicken,” he offered Percy a watery smile. His hands trembled. Percy smiled.

“You know, you don’t have to come tomorrow if you don’t feel well. Or if you don’t want to.”

Nico flinched.

_He doesn’t want me there, he thinks I’ll embarrass him. _

The Italian quickly turned back to the toilet before Percy could see the blue in his eyes and spat into the pukey-water.

“I’ll be okay,” he said, “You can go back to class-“

He puked again, almost missing the toilet.

“Hey-,” Percy tried to push his way into the cubicle, but Nico couldn’t have him here, not now, not when he was so vulnerable.

“It’s fine,” He tried to shove Percy out, “I’ll manage-“

“You need to go to the nurse-“

Nico slid to his knees and retched into the toilet again and Percy took this opportunity to shove the door close behind him and squat next to Nico, a hand on his friend’s back. Nico stopped puking and leaned his forehead on his arm, which was on the toilet-seat.

“I’m fine,” he croaked weakly. Percy stroked his back, a look of concern on his face, his eyes a warm chocolate brown – brown was for worry and sympathy, but it was for pity too, and Nico didn’t want pity from Percy.

He also didn’t want Percy to see his eyes. He turned his face away.

“Please leave.”

“Stop it,” Percy whispered, “Stop pushing me away. We’re supposed to be friends.”

He grabbed Nico’s shoulder and pulled him back, ignoring the boy’s protests. He pushed Nico against the wall so they were facing each other and Percy’s eyes widened a fraction; Nico was as pale as a ghost and definitely had to be sent home. Also, his eyes, instead of being dark green for awkwardness or dark blue for fear, or even the usual grey that Percy had started to notice was Nico’s neutral colour, they were lilac. A pretty, light purple like lavender flowers. As Percy stared, blood rushed to Nico’s pale cheeks.

“I’m going to the nurse’s!” he exclaimed and jolted to his feet and, before Percy could stop him, slipped out of the cabin and stumbled out of the bathroom.

Percy sat on the dirty floor, heart pounding. No way were his friends right, no way did Nico have feelings for him...and yet...that shade of purple was the colour of Annabeth’s eyes when she looked at Reyna, or Leo’s when he looked at Calypso, or Jason’s when he looked at Piper, or Hazel’s when she looked at Frank...lilac was for fluster and anticipation and...

** _Friday._ **

_More a sleepover than a party. _Leo Valdez was a dirty liar, and Nico was an idiot for showing up.

He stood in the driveway of Annabeth’s massive house and watched the colourful lights escaping the windows into the night, as the pavement vibrated with the sound of music and shouting. The house seemed to be brimming with people, and there was a couple already making out by the front gate.

Nico hovered awkwardly with a four-pack of cider he wasn’t sure he wanted to drink, and stared at the door. He swallowed. He should turn back it was too loud and there were too many people and he didn’t fit in. Percy didn’t even seem to want him there that badly...

As if summoned by destiny, Hazel exited the house, stumbling a little, and her eyes lit up when she saw Nico.

“Neeks!” she squealed and ran to him, showering him with hugs and kisses, which was way too much contact for Nico’s liking, “You made it!”

Before the Italian could make up some bullshit excuse, Hazel dragged him into the house, the reason for why she came outside in the first place long forgotten.

As predicted, the hallways were full of drunk teenagers; everything smelled like sweat and alcohol and sweet perfume the girls doused themselves in. As Nico passed, people smiled at him or waved or nodded or said ‘hi’ but he still felt terribly out of place, anxiety curling in his gut.

The eyes of his classmates were orange or yellow or purple, and there were plenty of red eyes of arousal too, and it was weird. Hazel pulled Nico into a large living room that had half been converted into a beer-pong tournament and half into a dance-floor on which people were jamming out to some Top 40’s hit. Hazel found Nico a cup, emptied his cider into it, then shoved it into his hand and said something to him, but he couldn’t hear her over the music. He also quickly realised he wouldn’t survive this party sober and downed his drink. It tasted like juice. He emptied another can into the cup and Hazel dragged him into the sweaty crowd of dancers.

Nico didn’t know how to dance, so he swayed. Halfway through ‘Old Town Road’ he began to feel a buzz and couldn’t stop smiling. By the time he finished his third cider he, for the first time in years, forgot about people’s eye colour. It was dark here anyway, and for some reason what people were feeling no longer mattered. Nico threw his head back and laughed and twirled Hazel around-

And then Percy was there, right in front of him, so _close, _in the dark blue t-shirt Nico liked, with his hair styled perfectly, grinning and looking directly at Nico – _only _at Nico, and the Italian suddenly felt intoxicated on much more than just alcohol and had to force himself not to throw himself into Percy’s arms and kiss him right then and there. His insecurity and his reason had disappeared.

“Percy!” he exclaimed.

“You came!” Percy squeezed his arm, then grabbed his and Hazel’s hand, “We’re playing truth or dare upstairs, come on!”

Nico was more than happy to follow him and giggled as Percy pulled him through the house. Everything was blurry and colourful and covered in shadows and Nico loved it.

Then suddenly he found himself in a bedroom. The bedside lamp was on, casting a golden glow onto the room and in a circle on the floor sat Piper, Reyna, Jason, Frank, Annabeth, Leo and his girlfriend Calypso.

“Hey guys!” Nico said cheerfully, and sat down between Hazel and Percy, confident and happy especially when his arrival was met by a cheer. He emptied his last can of cider into a cup and slumped a little against Percy, “I’ve never played truth or dare,” he slurred.

“Don’t worry,” Jason grinned devilishly, “There’s been a plan change,” he pulled an empty vodka bottle from behind his back and set it in the centre. Annabeth’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that _my _vodka?” she asked, but Jason ignored her.

“We’re playing spin the bottle!”

His proclamation was met with both cheers and groans. Nico leaned even more into Percy, almost climbing into his lap.

“What’s spin the bottle?” he whispered. Percy smiled.

“Someone spins the bottle and whoever it lands on, they have to kiss.”

“Ooooh,” Nico said, barely comprehending, and turned back to the group.

“I’ll start!” Jason proclaimed, and spun the bottle so that it deliberately landed on Piper.

“Cheater!” Leo bellowed, so Jason spun again but to everyone’s disappointment it landed on Piper again. She gave him a little peck and he sulked as she happily grabbed the bottle. Nico felt dizzy watching it spin, and it landed on Hazel.

“C’mere girl,” Piper opened her arms and Hazel, blushing, crawled towards her. Their peck was a little more prolonged.

“Aw c’mon!” Calypso complained, “Let’s get some tongue action in here!”

Frank shook his head, “Leo is a terrible influence on you.”

Hazel had to kiss Annabeth next, and they pecked, then Annabeth’s bottle landed on Frank and they pecked too. Nico drank more and more of his cider. Frank’s bottle landed on Reyna and – egged on by everyone including their girlfriends – they had a very awkward makeout. Then Reyna spun and it landed on Nico. The Italian blinked at the bottle cap pointing his way as the room exploded into clapping and laughter.

“Do we now kiss-?” Nico started, but Reyna was already there. She gripped his face and kissed him sloppily and Nico just sat there, frozen. When she pulled away everyone cheered and clapped and Nico still sat there, shell-shocked.

“Come on Nico!” Hazel encouraged him, “It’s your turn to spin!”

He did so clumsily and it banged against Percy’s leg.

“Doesn’t count,” Nico immediately blurted, his drunk brain remembering to panic.

“It does too!” Leo snatched up the bottle before Nico could re-spin, “Come on, just kiss, it’s not a big deal.”

“Do it! Do it!” Calypso started the chant, and everyone picked it up.

Nico looked up at Percy and Percy looked at him and because they were only a few inches apart, their noses almost touched. Nico tried to place what colour Percy’s eyes were in the dim light, when the taller boy leaned forward and kissed him.

Nico let out a tiny, barely audible gasp at the feeling that he had been dreaming about for months. Only Percy heard, and for some reason it made him kiss Nico harder. He cupped the boy’s cheek with one hand and parted his lips with his tongue, sliding it into Nico’s mouth. The Italian trembled, his drunk mind trying to comprehend what was happening. The cheering and squealing of Percy’s friends around them grew muffled and Nico leaned into Percy, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him closer. He didn’t know _how _to kiss and was sure the alcohol was making him sloppy and clumsy, but he didn’t care because it felt so _good _and he never wanted it to end_. _He forgot other people existed and would have tackled Percy to the ground if the boy didn’t pull away just then.

The party filtered back in – screaming and cheering.

Percy slowly opened his eyes and looked at Nico, and felt a spark go through his whole body when he saw the boy’s eyes staring back at him, deep red. He didn’t need anybody to explain to him what the colour meant, because he knew his eyes looked the same, that the colour was connected to the burning in his body and the tightness in his trousers.

But then the red was gone from Nico’s eyes and instead they turned inky black. The boy jumped to his feet and ran out of the room as if he expected everyone to laugh at him for his reaction. Instead the group stopped clapping and cheering and looked around each other.

“That was intense,” Annabeth said.

“I should go after him,” Percy’s mind supplied.

“Yes you should,” Leo agreed drunkenly, and the friend’s exchanged smug looks and unspoken _finally’_s.

Percy clambered to his feet and spilled into the corridor where someone was arguing and someone else was crying.

“Anyone seen Nico?” he asked the shadowy figures and someone pointed him in the direction of the spare bedroom. It was pitch black in there.

“Nico?” Percy asked tentatively, peeking inside.

“Go away,” Came the quiet, whimpery reply. Of course Percy didn’t go away but slipped into the room instead, closing the door behind him. He stuck his arms out and navigated between the furniture until he found a light switch. A bedside lamp turned on and in the dim glow Percy could see Nico’s hunched form curled up in the window seat.

“Hey,” Percy smiled and approached him. Nico had his knees pulled to his chest and his head resting on his arms, so Percy couldn’t see his face. He sat next to his friend, “Why’d you run?”

“You saw,” Nico said quietly, very clearly drunk. Percy was also very drunk, which was why he felt weirdly calm about the whole thing.

“Saw what?” Percy asked, absent-mindedly reaching out to touch Nico’s hair. The boy flinched so Percy did the only rational thing; he shifted closer and slipped an arm around the Italian’s waist, “Saw what, Nico?” he whispered.

Nico’s head shot up and he looked at Percy with his teary, terrified red eyes, brimming with arousal. Percy didn’t hesitated; this was all the confirmation he needed. He grabbed the back of Nico’s head and pulled him in and crashed their mouths together. Nico squeaked and slipped backwards, and the window seat happened to be just big enough that they could lie on it. Outside the window the party raged in the garden and the muffled music slipped in through the closed door, but it was almost like they were alone.

Percy kissed Nico hungrily, swallowed the boy’s whimpers and protests, pinned his wrists down until Nico finally submitted to him and opened his mouth. The kiss grew slower, softer, their tongues tangled together. When Percy was sure Nico wouldn’t try running again he intertwined their fingers with one hand and with the other he cupped Nico’s cheek.

They finally pulled apart, flushed and breathless. Nico’s eyes were the most gorgeous lilac – Percy’s friends had been right.

“I love you,” Nico blurted, sounding like he was about to cry. Then his eyes widened because in that instance he saw Percy’s eyes shift from red to the same pretty, light purple that he had been trying to hide for months.

“Anyone ever told you, you’ve got pretty eyes?” Percy murmured, and kissed the boy again. 


	5. The Werewolf in the Factory (Frank x Leo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the length of this lol. Or not I guess

**Leo hunts and destroys monsters then he meets Frank the werewolf. I wanna see where you'd go if you did this.  
For Echo_luvs_Leo**

** **

Another full moon, another night of terror and being in this brutal, bizarre body that wasn’t his.

The black wolf sprinted through the now familiar forest, and smelled blood in the air. Through the branches of the trees above his head he could see the moon, swollen and gleaming, calling to him, calling for him to give into his instincts.

_No, _the werewolf thought and sped up. He focused on the smell of mildew, the ferns, the lavender blooming close-by. He could smell the town just beyond the trees – cobblestones and concrete and little shops selling candles, closed for the night.

A howl sounded through the forest, aggressive and commanding and the wolf tripped over his paws and whimpered and his instincts took him in a different direction, towards his Alpha.

The wolf broke into a clearing where the moon had painted the grass silver, and there he was, his Alpha. The only other werewolf still alive in the world, to his knowledge. He emerged from the shadows of the trees, his eyes frenzied and full of blood-lust, his teeth around a part of a human carcass, his golden fur stained dark with blood.

The black wolf fought another whimper, and then fought the pull of the blood even harder. His Alpha dropped the body before him, panting, and the dark wolf heard his voice in his head.

_Frank. _

The dark wolf bowed into the grass, the sweet scent of death sinking into his nostrils.

_Frank, why are you not killing?_

The werewolf turned his eyes to look at his Alpha and his cold, emotionless gaze.

_I can’t. They’re innocent people._

The Alpha snarled at him and Frank jerked back, terrified. He had seen what this creature had done to his own mother when she stepped out of line, and he was terrified.

_I have taken you in, _the Alpha’s eyes blazed with fury, _given you a home. I am your pack, and you _will _obey me, or do you want to be the last werewolf on earth? Alone forever?_

Fear spiked inside Frank. He didn’t want to do this, he didn’t want to kill and eat humans, and yet what was the alternative? The werewolf bowed his head and gave into his primal urges.

***

Leo climbed up the steps of the Institute of Magical Control, dragging the heavy sack behind him and almost tripping on the marble steps. It was well past midnight and the night was dreary and rainy, with the streets devoid of people, and yet almost all the lights in the looming, magnificent building in which Leo worked were on. ‘Monsters don’t sleep,’ Leo’s professor had told him when the boy was finishing school.

Frustrated and exhausted, the twenty-one year old shoved open the door to the institute and found himself in a round, well-lit lobby with a desk like in a hotel at the front and a grand, golden staircase leading up to the second floor straight ahead. Candles burned in the walls and that, paired with the crimson carpets, tapestries and detailed oil paintings made it seem as if the building was stuck in the 18th century.

“Mister Leo,” the irate and scratchy voice of the porter, Dionysus, known to the employees as just Mr D, floated towards him. The porter was sprawled behind the desk, watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on an IPad. Leo shook rain water from his curls and looked at the porter miserably – he was a terrible sight; tiny, made to look even smaller because he was drenched, dressed in a floor-length black trench-coat, huge boots and a tired expression. His clothes were speckled with blood, “I take it you’ve killed another?” Mr D lazily paused his show.

“Yes,” Leo hauled his sack to the desk and with difficulty whacked it onto the counter, with no help from Mr D who watched him with a bored expression. Leo slumped against the desk, “It’s a minotaur, I got it out in Burnhill Forest.”

Mr D raised an eyebrow, “Quite a trek.”

“Yup,” Leo agreed, as his arms ached. He was so fucking tired and he’d been tracking this goddamn creature for _days _and all he wanted was a shower and his bed, and _ugh. _Sometimes he hated being a monster hunter, even though he had wanted to have this ‘dream’ job since he was a child.

“Alright,” Mr D opened the sack and wrinkled his nose as the smell of rotting flesh filled the lobby. He hurried shut it again, “That’s another point for you, kid.”

He hobbled over to the blackboard hanging on the wall behind the desk, clearly already a bit intoxicated, and drew a squiggly line next to Leo’s name with chalk. Leo’s shoulders slumped as his eyes danced over the other names; Luke was at the top, having killed eleven monsters already even though they were only halfway through the month. Percy was a close second with nine kills. Leo looked down the names until he reached his own at the bottom. Two kills, including the minotaur he brought in today. He felt ashamed.

The door burst open and a drenched Piper almost skipped inside, grinning, her dark hair pulled into a braid, an assortment of knives strapped to her waist.

“Leo!” she exclaimed and ran to her friend, throwing her arms around him, “Good to see you! Where have you been?”

“Burnhill forest,” Leo couldn’t quite match her excitement.

“Mr D!” Piper leaned against the desk and produced a pouch from her pocket. She offered it to the porter, who took it with an unimpressed look on his face. A blue, webbed hand fell onto the counter, “A selkie!” Piper squealed, “I just flew in from Scotland, she had been terrorising a village-“

“Yes, yes,” Dionysus waved her off and walked to the blackboard, putting another line next to her six points. Leo watched, miserable, as the girl’s name magically shifted up the board and skipped over Connor Stoll, who had one less kill than her.

The Latino’s shoulders slumped – he had been last the previous month too, and before that...he was just a shitty hunter.

Piper noticed his name on the board and his crestfallen expression and nudged him with her elbow, “Cheer up,” she said gently, “Next month will be better.”

He gave her a pale smile, “Right.”

“Ah, that reminds me,” Mr D sat back down in his swivelling chair and pushed the selkie hand aside with disgust, “The big boss wants to see you.”

“Me?” Piper asked.

“No,” Mr D rolled his eyes and pointed at Leo, “Him.”

Leo’s blood chilled in his veins and he swallowed, “W-What? Why?”

“How the hell would I know? Nobody tells me shit around here,” Dionysus snapped, and pressed a button on his desk. A golden elevator next to the stairs opened with a soft _ding. _Leo swallowed past the lump in his throat again and Piper gave him a sympathetic smile.

Dejected and feeling like he was walking to his death, Leo dragged himself to the elevator. He saw Piper waving at him pitifully before the door slid shut smoothly. Some sort of Latin opera song was playing and Leo met his own gaze in the mirrored walls. He looked depressed, small and scrawny. Not like a hunter at all. He sighed and watched, unmoved, as the numbers on the floor indicator jumped rapidly, too fast for a normal elevator. Thankfully it was late and the lift didn’t stop at any floor, until it reached the 600 one. There the door slid open and Leo stepped out into a red-carpeted corridor.

The opera music haunted him as he walked down the hallway, head hung low. It was finally happening; he was so shit he would be fired, and then he’d have to find a new, shitty job and throw his dream of being a successful hunter away.

The boy stopped in front of a huge golden door – the only one in the hallway - with a glimmering name plaque that read _Director of the Institute, Zeus Olympus. _Leo swallowed down his fear and raised his hand to knock-

“Come in!” came the booming voice, before Leo could even touch the door. He entered the director’s office, a room he had been in several times before and a room he wholeheartedly despised.

The office was massive, with a mighty desk at the back with a velvety red plush chair behind it. There was a marble fountain to the left, looking as if it had been pulled out of a Greek courtyard, and shelves of ancient books to the right, gathering dust. Behind the desk were floor to ceiling windows that revealed the dark night and the city glimmering somewhere far, far below, just speckles of light.

“Director,” Leo addressed the man sitting in the chair, typing away on a laptop. He was a big man with a stark-white beard and stormy eyes that now turned to look at Latino and made him shake at the knees in fear, “You asked to see me.”

“Valdez,” Zeus snapped and whacked his laptop shut, and Leo fought a flinch.

“I killed the Minotaur today,” he blurted before Zeus could start shouting. The Director’s eyes narrowed and Leo continued, “Tracking him was a bitch but I finally got him, chopped his head off and all, it’s downstairs with Mr D I can bring it up-“

“Silence!” Zeus barked, spittle flying. Leo _did _flinch then, and hung his head like a scared lamp, waiting for the Director to pick apart all his recent mistakes, call him worthless and then send him packing.

Instead, the man settled back in his chair and linked his hands over his stomach, that protruded out of his expensive suit, threatening to pop the buttons.

“I’ve got a new assignment for you, Valdez. An important one.”

Leo’s head snapped up, eyes wide. Did he just imagine what Zeus said, “W-What?” he spluttered.

Zeus waved his hand and the lights dimmed in a room, and a projector swivelled down over the windows behind him. On the projector were gruesome, grizzly photos of bodies ripped to shreds. Leo felt light-headed.

“Who did that?” he whispered.

“Not who but _what,” _Zeus corrected, “A werewolf.”

“Werewolf?” Leo frowned, “I thought those were extinct.”

“So did the Institute,” Zeus waved his hand and the lights grew brighter and the projector rolled itself up. The Director leaned forward on his desk, eyes glued to Leo, “I need you to take this job, Valdez. The werewolf has been terrorising villages and towns for months, every full moon there is a massacre. The last three months its been terrorising the same area, attacking a village called Esmead, then the neighbouring town, Alder, just outside the city. Last month it went back to Esmead, and so this full moon we are sure it will attack Alder again. It has killed fourteen people already, and you’ve seen what it did to the bodies. It matches the crimes of another werewolf that killed in these parts over thirty years ago.”

“But...why me?” Leo asked, the images of the destroyed corpses burned into his brain, “Wouldn’t it make more sense if someone with a higher score took it? It seems it’s a really dangerous monster...”

“I thought you’d want this job due to the...circumstances,” Zeus said carefully, and Leo froze, “Your father was a great asset to the Institute and I thought you’d want the opportunity to prove yourself the man he was.”

“I’ll take it,” Leo barked, not hesitating again. Zeus smiled barely noticeably.

“Good,” he reached into his desk and pulled out an A4 brown envelope. He slid it across the desk to Leo, who was dripping water onto his beige carpet, “Everything you’ll need to know is in here. As far as we’re concerned this ones the last werewolf, and it’s important we put an end to his filthy species.”

Leo picked up the envelope, “Do we know its identity?”

“No,” Zeus said, “And it doesn’t matter. Kill on-sight.”

***

Leo’s keys jangled and the huge metal door screeched as he pushed it open.

He lived in a dingy little room in the upstairs of an old factory that his uncle once owned – the whole place was abandoned with old equipment looming in the dark like monsters but Leo, who had converted the office upstairs into a cosy bedroom with an adjourning bathroom (He’d done all the pipe-work himself!), found it comforting to be surrounded by darkness and silence. He also couldn’t afford to move out; hunters made commissions best on how many kills they got each month, which was why people like Luke and Percy could afford expensive sky-rise apartments in the heart of the city and Leo...well, Leo could barely get by. It was his own fault though; he loved tracking, and following his prey, but when it actually came time to kill it turned his stomach...not that he could ever tell anyone; he had gone through school to have this prestigious job, and his father had been so proud before he died...

Before he was killed, mauled to death by a werewolf fifteen years ago. That monster had been killed, and for fifteen years the werewolves seemed to have gone extinct. Until now.

_Remember why you’re doing this, _Leo angrily told himself as he passed between the haulers and dumpers and all the other outdated machinery. His footsteps echoed through the huge hall as he climbed up the metal staircase to his room, which was a box hanging over the main hall, with three little windows looking out at the dead machines. When the lights in Leo’s room were on, they could be seen from the abandoned hall like golden squares hovering in the air.

The boy unlocked the door to his room and walked in, immediately enabling the security systems around the premises – those were against humans. Against monsters he had had a witch cast a protective spell on the building – she was a confidant, and fed the Institute information in return for them allowing her to live. The factory was a safe place for Leo from any monsters wishing to get their vengeance.

Leo sighed and looked around his small bedroom; there was his double sized bed that he had had hauled up the stairs himself, and that took up a third of the room. He had a little desk with a computer and a bookshelf with messily shoved manuals on it, and the whole place was littered with empty snack packets and cardboard pizza boxes. Downstairs he had a rarely-used kitchen and, most importantly, his workroom in which he invented all types of smart creations that helped him on his assignments.

But even his creations couldn’t make up for his lack of skill.

Leo shoved off his muddy shoes, pulled off his soiled trench-coat and sat down in his rickety desk chair, pulling the envelope Zeus had given him out of his pocket. Out of it he pulled three pieces of paper.

The first contained the photos of the same horrendously savaged bodies Leo had seen on the projector in the Institute, alongside descriptions of the werewolf’s victims and the coroner’s report. Leo hurriedly shoved that page aside. Next was a map of the town of Alder, and its surrounding forests, with green marks dotted around for where the werewolf had been spotted, and red ones for where it had attacked. This page included sketches of what the eye-witnesses said the monster looked like. Leo stared at it now; a fairytale wolf, huge with a grotesquely hunched back, blazing, crazed eyes and a mouth full of slaver and deadly sharp teeth. It didn’t seem real. Leo had never seen a werewolf before and he peered closer at the sketches, wondering if that was truly what it looked like.

_They’re called monsters for a reason, _he reminded himself, _something like this killed dad. _He pushed the page aside. On the last paper there were several sets of coordinates, details of hunters in the nearby area, a quick list of other, minor monsters that had been sighted in the town, and then the five rules that were at the end of each assignment, ones Leo knew off by heart.

  1. _Kill on-sight._
  2. _Know where to shoot._
  3. _Minimize casualties._
  4. _Don’t engage in conversations (especially with hypnotic creatures)_
  5. _Remember – THEY ARE MONSTERS._

Leo sighed and scanned the documents into his computer before leaving them to transfer into his pad over-night. He felt dejected for some reason, the memory of his father’s death looming over him – he had been Leo’s last living family and since then nobody had truly loved the boy. It was depressing.

Exhausted, Leo stripped naked, shower forgotten. He switched off his overhead lamp. In the blue light of the monitor and accompanied the gentle hum of his computer as it worked, Leo crawled under his covers, wondering what tomorrow would entail.

***

Alder turned out to be one of those pretty little towns a few miles from the city, with cobble-stoned streets and thatched roofs and its own medieval castle up on a hill. On the sun-lit morning that Leo came there he saw plenty of tourists visiting the overpriced cheese shops and buying cheap, tacky souvenirs to take home. It didn’t look like a town terrorized by a werewolf.

Leo tried his best to blend in even in his trench-coat but he still got long, confused glances from passer-bys, and children pointed their fingers and asked if he was a guard at the castle. Leo smiled at them and snuck into alleyways that reeked of sewage to check his pad for directions. It had been two weeks since he had gotten his assignment, tonight was the full moon, and possibly Leo’s only chance to kill the werewolf. Once the night was over it’d turn back into human form and disappear, and who knows where it would reappear next. Leo had the day to interview witnesses and make a plan of action. Hopefully nobody else would die and he’d finally earn some good points with the Institute.

First he’d have to talk to some witnesses. Leo checked his pad again for the address and then ducked out of the alleyway, heading for the cheese shop across the cobbled road. The bell chimed as he entered, and he found himself in a normal shop with cheese wheels on the walls and jars of chutney that looked like someone’s grandma made it lining the shelves. A few people milled around, and a young girl stood behind the cash register. She had her curly hair in two buns, and wore an offensively yellow apron. Leo approached her, and she smiled brightly.

“Hello! How can I help you today?” her name-tag said Hazel.

“Hi,” Leo tried to be as friendly and non-threatening as possible, which was easy since he was only five foot six tall, “I’m Leo, I’m the detective. My boss said he rang-“

“Ah yes!” Hazel still seemed perky but there was uneasiness in her eyes, “Why don’t you come to the back please?”

Leo nodded and turned around and frowned – the shop was empty, all the customers had disappeared somewhere. Hazel walked to the door and flipped the sign on it from ‘open’ to ‘closed.’

Feeling a little awkward and uneasy, Leo followed the girl into the back room which turned out to be a little, homey kitchen with herbs hanging from the ceiling and spare cheese piled on the counter.

“Would you like any coffee or tea?” she asked politely and gestured at Leo to sit down at a round wooden table with two mismatched chairs. He did so.

“Uh...tea please. No milk.”

Hazel hummed a song to herself as she prepared the drinks, pulling out chipped mugs that reminded Leo of the ones his grandma had in his house. Leo looked around the room – there were little oil paintings of vases full of flowers on the wall, a broomstick sat in the corner, and afternoon sunlight streamed in through a little window.

Hazel set down Leo’s mug in front of him and sat opposite him, still beaming.

“So, detective-“

“Please,” Leo interrupted, “Just call me Leo. It looks like we’re the same age.”

A twinkle appeared in Hazel’s pretty brown eyes and her smile widened, “Well, Leo. What do you want to know?”

“You were a witness in the murders, weren’t you?” Leo asked carefully. Hazel’s smile faded, “Would you mind giving me a run-down of what happened?”

“I didn’t actually _see _anything,” Hazel’s eyes dropped. _Good, _Leo thought and quickly typed – _witness unaware of the supernatural – _in his notes, “I just found the body. It was completely mutilated. I don’t know what human could have done that. I’m sure it must’ve been a wild animal.”

Leo smiled tensely and quickly typed what Hazel was saying. She seemed awfully young and scared when she spoke, eyes big.

“We’ve never had something like this happen in Alder, not before this year. It’s always been such a peaceful community...Detective!” she reached across the table and grabbed Leo’s hand. His skin sparked and he flinched in surprise as Hazel looked at him pleadingly, “Will you catch whatever has done this?”

Leo smiled and lied, “Don’t worry, miss. Whoever did this was definitely human, and I don’t plan to leave this town without catching them.”

Footsteps sounded behind him and Hazel’s eyes slithered upwards to look over his shoulder; she pulled her hand back and Leo turned to see another girl in the doorway. She looked a little older than Hazel, though still younger than twenty five, with a mass of orange curls on her head. Her eyes seemed distant.

“Ah,” she didn’t seem surprised to see Leo, “You must be the detective,” the redheaded girl smiled, and there was something tense about her smile, “I’m Rachel. This is my shop.” Her tone, although polite, seemed to say _leave._

“Right,” Leo saved his notes and stood up, “Sorry to intrude, I was just getting a testimony from your employee.”

The two women exchanged a look, “Perhaps going to the sheriff is a good idea,” Rachel suggested. Leo suddenly felt awfully uncomfortable.

“Right. Yes. That’s...a good idea,” he smiled awkwardly, “Thank you.”

He stood up and slipped around the redhead in the doorway, feeling some kind of tension in the room, careful not to touch her. It wasn’t until he was back on the sun-filled street that he realised he hadn’t touched his tea. Dazed, he headed towards his next destination.

***

The police station looked like something out of an old western movie – a few rickety desks shoved together, buried beneath a mound of papers. Silence, heat, stifling air, nobody in sight.

“Excuse me!” Leo called, hovering awkwardly by the door, “I’m looking for sheriff Ramirez!” Zeus had called and informed the town-folk, including their sheriff’s department, that a detective would come to deal with the werewolf case (of course he hadn’t called it that), but the truth was Leo was a hunter and not a detective, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with authorities. That’s why he was relieved when instead of an old man with a moustache and a cowboy hat coming around the corner, a young woman appeared instead – she looked vaguely irritated, and her dark eyes sparked from her angular face.

“Good afternoon, I-“

“What do you want?” the woman snapped, and Leo cringed inside himself and smiled sheepishly, though now that the brunette was standing in front of him, he felt intimidated.

“U-Uh...,” he stuttered, “Um, I’m Leo Valdez, the detective sent by-“

The brunette rolled her eyes, “I know who you are. I was expecting you an hour ago,” she pointed at the paper-covered desks, “I have a lot of work to do.”

A sheriff’s badge glimmered on her chest, and beneath it her name – _Sheriff Reyna Ramirez-Arellano_. Leo straightened up, and started taking mental notes.

“One of the witnesses said this was a peaceful town. Where did all that paperwork come from, Sheriff Ramirez?”

Reyna scoffed, “The murders, obviously. All my officers are off on leave so it’s all on my head. Besides, it’s also petty disputes between towns folk.”

Leo nodded, “Riiiight,” he drawled. There was something about the way the Sheriff was looking at him that made him think she wasn’t telling him the whole truth, “Have you got any suspects?” Leo asked.

“That is confidential,” Reyna replied curtly, “It’s with the police, and I can’t give that kind of information to a private investigator. The city, always meddling with our affairs...,” she muttered the last part. Leo swallowed. Why on earth had Zeus sent him _here? _This sleepy town felt so bizarre...

“So there is nothing you can tell me?”

“You have the files, don’t you?” Reyna snapped, “I know as little as you. These grisly murders are an out of ordinary occurrence for this place, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“You know it might happen again tonight?” Leo asked. The sheriff stepped closer to him, eyes narrowed, and Leo felt like he was in a trap.

“Do _not _spread panic in _my _town,” Reyna seethed. Leo wanted to run and scream, there was something _terrifying _about this woman, and he decided he would have much preferred to deal with a man in a cowboy hat.

“Yes,” he squeaked. Reyna pulled back, glanced Leo up and down as if assessing if he was a threat.

“Are you planning to catch the culprit?”

Leo nodded mutely. Reyna scoffed and pushed some strands of hair that escaped her braid back, “Jesus,” she muttered and looked almost amused, “What makes you think you won’t become the next victim?”

Leo shrugged, “Better me than someone from town, right?” he offered sheepishly. Reyna shook her head and sighed, but she seemed less ready to kill Leo herself now.

“Where are you staying, detective?”

“I’ve got a room booked at the Half-Blood inn,” Leo fidgeted, kind of feeling like he was being interrogated himself. Reyna nodded, thoughtful.

“I’ll alert my officers, or the ones that are still in town. We’ll be on the lookout. If you think another murder might happen today I won’t take any chances. But you should stay out of it, detective.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Leo said, and walked out feeling like he had achieved nothing. On the streets the shop-keepers were closing up and the sun was dipping behind the horizon. Leo frowned, disoriented – where had the day gone? He pulled out his pad and looked at the time; almost eight in the evening.

“Shit,” Leo hissed. The full moon would be rising soon, and he felt sleepy and distracted. He had to get to the inn and get his equipment ready – if he came back empty-handed Zeus would definitely fire him.

Angry at himself for wasting the day on interviewing useless witnesses, Leo hurried towards the inn.

***

It was empty when he entered; a three storey building made of grey brick with a veranda and a beer garden at the back. It was on the edge of town, looking out over the forest where the werewolf was running loose, which made it perfect for Leo’s mission. It was getting dark fast and warm golden lights glowed in some of the bedrooms as Leo went to his car in the car park. He had parked it here in the morning, when he first showed up in Alder, and now fished out his bags from the back, hauling them up the steps and to the front door.

The foyer was homey and cosy with a dead fireplace in the centre, a desk to the left, and a door with the words ‘BAR’ written above it to the left. It was eerily silent, but a woman sat behind the desk, riffling through some papers. She was young and pale with golden hair pulled up into a ponytail.

“Hello,” Leo awkwardly approached the desk, trying to keep his balance with all the bags hanging off of him. The blond girl glanced up at him, tensed, and stood up.

“I’m Annabeth, I run the inn. You’re Leo Valdez, correct?” she said hurriedly, as if she was in a rush. Leo blinked.

“Um. Yeah. Hi. I have a reservation?”

“Right,” the girl cleared her throat and checked something in her papers, “Yeah, that’s right. Room number nine.” She pressed a bell on her desk and silently a man appeared in the doorway leading to the bar. He too was pale and blond but he and Annabeth didn’t look related. Only then Leo noticed how eerily silent the establishment was – undoubtedly the murders had scared off tourists.

“Jason here will take you upstairs,” Annabeth said. The blond man smiled in a surprisingly friendly manner.

“Need help with those bags?” he asked, and took them from Leo before the hunter could reply; Leo was pretty sure he only did it to show off his muscles because he took all of them easily and at the same time and made for the stairs behind Annabeth’s desk. Leo followed behind him, feeling a little inadequate, and the girl followed them with her eyes.

“How long you staying for?” Jason chatted cheerfully as he and Leo climbed to the first floor landing, which was also devoid of any activity. Leo was starting to believe he was the only guest in the whole inn.

“Just the one night.”

Jason glanced at him over his shoulder as he gracefully unlocked the door to room number nine, despite being loaded with bags, “Really? Why so short? Are you one of those people that is interested in gory stuff like the murders?”

“Nah,” Leo followed him into a narrow room with a single bed, a closet that looked like it was from the 16th century, and a sink, “I just like cheese.”

Jason smiled at that and put Leo’s bags down at the foot of his bed, “Heavy,” he fixed his glasses, “What you got in there?”

Leo shrugged and panicked, “Uh...I collect screws.”

“Screws?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“Yup,” Leo smiled, “They’re good for...screwing.”

Jason nodded thoughtfully as if that made sense and handed the hunter his key, “I’ll be downstairs in the bar, and Annabeth’s at the desk. The phone’s over there so ring if you need anything. Bathroom’s down the hall.”

And then he was gone, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared and closing the door behind him. Leo sighed and sat on his bed. He was exhausted. Outside of the window, night was beginning to fall.

Leo didn’t have time to rest though, he had a long night ahead. He wished he had some coffee, or that he could take a shower, but he wasn’t here on vacation. If he failed his job...he didn’t even want to think about the consequences, so he focused on the task at hand. He opened up his bags and began riffling through his equipment.

First he sent the Institute an update on the mission on his pad, then he began to weapon-up. He shoved a silver dagger into his boot, and strapped another to his waist, alongside his trusted gun Festus who was loaded with silver bullets and had made Leo almost orgasm the first time he got it when he turned eighteen and joined the Institute. He hung his emergency call pendant around his neck and shoved his pad and map in his pocket.

He didn’t have a plan – he’d have to just go into the forest with his gun and hope for the best. Leo exhaled. There was a very high possibility he wouldn’t make it back.

_Do it for dad. _Mustering up his courage, Leo exited the room and went back downstairs. He was shocked to hear loud music and laughter coming from the bar and when he passed it he saw that it was full of people, though he had no idea where they had come from in such a short time.

Annabeth looked uneasy as he passed, “I wouldn’t go out there,” she warned as Leo headed for the front door, “not with all the murders and stuff.”

“Sorry,” Leo smiled, “I’m a thrill seeker.”

***

It was past midnight and Leo had been wandering around for hours, aimlessly weaving between the dark trees in the forest. At first he had used a torch to see where he was going but the moon was full, fat and bright in the sky now and bathed everything in a silvery light.

All was still and quiet. The night was chilly, the trees swayed in the breeze, and Leo was losing hope. He had tried to track the werewolf, to find paw-prints or fur or _anything, _but there was nothing. The hours had lulled him into a sense of comfort and he walked around tiredly now, wandering if the Institute had made a mistake – maybe the werewolf wouldn’t come here after-all. At least Leo hadn’t bumped into the sheriff or any of her officers...

_Snap. _

Leo flinched and tensed, looking around wildly, heart beat jumping. _Fuck, focus, _he told himself and turned in a circle, eyes scanning the trees. Was someone here? Leo couldn’t tell, and he also couldn’t tell which part of the forest he was. He began to feel spooked. _I bet Percy and Luke never get scared, _Leo thought and swallowed as he slowly started to retreat, hand on Festus.

And then came the howl – sudden and blood-curdling and violent, nearby, echoing through the forest with a promise of death. Leo’s breath started coming out fast and his instincts told him to run. The werewolf sounded far away, but Leo couldn’t be sure-

_This is your job! Hunt! _He screamed at himself in his head and unfroze from his movement. The howl came again and this time Leo broke into a run, ripping his gun free and heading for the sound. Adrenaline kicked in, and he forgot his fear.

But the forest grew quiet again and eventually Leo grew tired and stopped running. He bent with his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath as he listened to any sound of activity. He straightened up and looked around, but everything looked dark and foresty and no blazing yellow eyes stared at him from the shadows.

Instead, he heard a quiet whimpering, like a dog’s, and he whirled around, gun pointed as he squinted into the night.

“Where are you?” he yelled, “Show yourself?”

A rustling came from between the trees and Leo’s heart threatened to escape his chest as he turned slowly, unsure of where the monster would attack. It would be some kind of poetic injustice if he died the way his father had, killed by a beast that was supposed to be extinct. The bushes near-by trembled, and Leo tensed and waited for death, making his peace with it.

But no werewolf jumped on him, nobody ripped out his throat. Instead a huge, bulking, stark-naked man came stumbling through the trees, clutching his side. Leo blinked, surprised, and lowered his gun an inch.

“Hey!” he yelled, and the man made eye-contact with him – his face and body were streaked with dirt. He collapsed onto the ground, and Leo shoved his gun back into his waistband, “Hey!” he gasped and fell to his knees next to the barely-conscious man. He was maybe three times the size of Leo, and the hunter couldn’t make out his features. What he _could _make out were the four ragged slashes on his side, oozing blood onto the grass. Claw-marks, “Holy shit,” Leo breathed, “You’re a victim-“

The man grabbed his wrist, breathing hard, and staring over Leo’s shoulder, “Werewolf,” he whispered, “Run.”

“What-“

Leo turned and there it was, so terrifying it almost didn’t seem real. Two glowing, furious eyes, a snarl full of teeth, a huge monstrous creature with a muzzle full of blood, heading straight for Leo.

The hunter shielded the man’s body with his own, pulled out a gun. The werewolf turned his head to the moon and howled, and then Leo felt it – magic. He had been around enough monsters and supernatural creatures to recognise the feeling; it was in the pit of his stomach, and felt like he had just missed a step on the staircase. Somebody nearby was using magic.

A tree came crashing down, right onto the werewolf, and seconds later gunshots sounded. Leo turned and saw Reyna sprinting through the trees, two officers in tow. When he turned again, the werewolf was gone.

“What happened?!” the Sheriff demanded, coming to a stop in front of Leo and the collapsed man as her officers run into the woods, unafraid.

“Stop them!” Leo yelled, “They’ll-“

“Who is this?” Reyna asked, looking at the hurt man.

“A victim,” Leo said, “The we- uh, the murderer attacked him.”

Reyna looked uncomfortable – not queasy, just confused and taken aback, “You have to get him to a hospital.”

“Me?!” Leo spluttered, “I have a job to do!”

“He’s gone!” one of the officers reported as they re-emerged from between the trees.

“Nakamura, Torrington, get the wounded man back to the inn. The detective will drive him to the hospital.”

“But-“ Leo started to protest but the officers were already lifting the bulky man. _I failed, _Leo thought.

“The murderer is gone,” Reyna said calmly, looking Leo right in the eye, “at least for now. It’s time for you to go, detective.”

The officers found their way through the forest perfectly and seemed not to have trouble carrying the abnormally large man. Leo, sulking, followed behind them, a little shaken up from his encounter, but more-so afraid of how he’d face Zeus now. He thought about things he could put on his CV, and where he’d apply for work after he got fired.

When they entered the parking lot of the inn the officers headed straight for Leo’s car, now surrounded by many others, and the hunter was too exhausted to ask how they knew which one was his.

“Keys,” one of them – the one with an eye-patch – asked. Leo handed them to him. Adrenaline leaked out of him like out of a broken water bottle and all he wanted was to shower and pass out but as he watched the officers load the unconscious man into the back of his truck he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

“What happened?!” Annabeth flew out of the inn, a concerned look on her face.

“Don’t worry,” Reyna turned to him, “The detective is leaving.”

Jason gave Leo a quizzical look and Leo didn’t know what to say. The Sheriff turned to him, “I’ll email you the papers regarding this tomorrow.”

“We need to find the culprit,” Leo said duly.

“Not tonight.”

Leo was so disoriented that he didn’t fully process what had happened until he was on the empty, dark highway, speeding towards the city. Only then, suddenly alert, he realised he had a werewolf’s victim in his backseat. He glanced at him in his rear-view mirror, but the man was just a dark lump under a blanket.

Leo chewed on his lip. So much had happened tonight and it was so hard to process. Where was he supposed to take the man? The hospital was out of the question because there was no way for Leo to explain the injuries to a human doctor. He didn’t want to go to the Institute, at least not yet. There was only one place left.

***

Frank woke up with sunshine dancing on his face and a warm blanket wrapped around him, which was saying a lot as he had never expected to wake up again. The last thing he remembered was the dark forest, the pain in his side, the terror, the knowledge that his life was over – and now he was..._where? _Somewhere warm and comfortable. Heaven? Did such a thing exist?

Slowly and groggily the werewolf opened his eyes. He was back to human form and he was in a tiny, cluttered room. He blinked and looked around, feeling like he was made of heavy bricks. There was a turned-off computer ahead of him, and he was laying in a soft, comfortable bed. To his left was a window looking out at the sunny afternoon, but the other three windows led towards grey light – an interior? Was he in a cell? No, this looked too lived-in to be a cell...

Frank struggled to sit up and struggled to comprehend what had happened and how he had gotten here. He looked down at himself and saw someone had scrubbed him clean and bandaged his side. He was naked, as he always was after transforming, his clothes probably where he had left them in the forest. Tentatively Frank touched the soft bandages and hissed in pain at the shot of heat that went through him. He remembered what happened and gritted his teeth...

Anxiety spread through him and he glanced around; was _he _here? Would his Alpha sniff him out and find him here and finish what he started? Who had saved him or imprisoned him? Where was he?

Frank sniffed the air; the smell of metal, hints of cinnamon, stale pizza and unwashed laundry. Although his senses weren’t as sharp as they were when he transformed every full moon, he could still hear someone outside – of the room? Cabin? He wasn’t sure what he was inside – shuffling and humming, and the clanging of metal against metal that even a human would be able to hear.

Quietly, Frank slipped out of the bed, wincing when he felt a shoot of pain go through his side. He was healing fast, as werewolves do, but being attacked by his Alpha was different than simply being attacked by somebody else – it cut deep, both physically and mentally. Despite everything that happened, Frank still felt the tug of his inner-wolf, urging him to return to his Alpha, to the only pack he had ever known.

_No._

Carefully and tentatively, senses alert, Frank crept to the grey windows and peeked out. He was surprised to see a factory hall spread out below him, with dusty machinery he couldn’t name hanging from the ceiling and jutting out of the floor, clearly abandoned. He was in some kind of warehouse...but who lived in a converted office bedroom in a warehouse? Maybe another creature...

Frank crept to the door and pulled it open and it, expecting it to squeak and give away his position, but it opened smoothly as if someone had oiled it up. More scents floated into the bedroom – sparks, fire, smoke, dust, and the sweet scent of humans. Humans smelled the sweetest of all.

_Fuck, _Frank thought and didn’t know what to expect. He wanted to curl up in the bed and forget everything that had happened, but he knew he had to find out if he was in danger or not, and if he was he’d have to break out...and go where?

Pushing aside his anxious thoughts, Frank looked around for something to cover himself with. He dug into the closet but all the clothes were so small he’d never get his huge body in them. He settled awkwardly for a towel that he wrapped around his waist, and then padded barefoot down the metal stairs to the main factory hall.

He followed the human scent, and the soft, off-key humming and rounded machinery. Sunlight fell in shafts through the dusty windows and Frank remained alert. The scent of cinnamon grew incredibly strong and as Frank came around what looked like a tractor he saw him.

He expected to see some dryad or elf or fairy in a pretty white dress smiling at him benevolently with a pie in her hands, telling him she had rescued him and treated his wounds. Instead he saw a shorter than average boy with a mass of curls, hammering away at a piece of steel and humming off-key to some song he was listening to on his earphones.

Frank stared at him, then took a step forward, which finally made the boy notice him.

“Ah!” the boy screamed and flailed backwards, dropping his hammer. It almost landed on his foot. “Jesus!” the human ripped his earphones out, “Why the hell are you sneaking up on people?!”

Frank blinked in confusion, “Are you a dwarf or something?”

The boy’s eyes bulged, “_Excuse me?!” _

“You’re just...,” puzzled, Frank held his hand up at the height the human was. That seemed to offend the boy more.

“I save your life and this is how you thank me?! By _insulting _me?!” he yelled. Frank winced. Changing back after a full moon always made him feel like he was hungover.

_Full moon. _

“Where are we?” he asked, looking around at the machinery towering over him. The human calmed a little.

“My workshop. Do you remember anything from last night?”

Frank bit his lip, wondering how much to tell him. Why had a human saved him, “I...uh...I was in the forest. You...do you..._know?” _he asked suggestively.

“That werewolves exist?” Leo asked tentatively. Frank nodded, and Leo exhaled in relief, “Yes. That’s what happened last night – you were hurt by the werewolf I was hunting.”

Frank tensed, feeling nauseous, “Hunted?” he whispered. The boy – who looked like he couldn’t hurt Frank even if he hit him with the hammer – nodded.

“Yes, I’m a hunter for the Institute of Magical Control,” he said, then grew moody, “Actually,” he grumbled, “I _was. _Pretty sure I’m fired now, since I failed my mission.”

“Y-You were supposed to kill the werewolf?” Frank tried not to freak out. Kronos had told him about the horrible assassins from the Institute, but Frank had always assume they were...scarier. The human didn’t seem threatening, and he also didn’t seem to know who Frank was.

“Yes. Instead I found you and had to have my butt saved by the Sherriff.”

For some reason, Frank relaxed and smiled, “You sound like a sucky hunter.”

“Thanks,” the human grumbled.

“What’s your name?” Frank asked, curious.

“Leo,” the boy replied, “How about you.”

“I’m Frank.”

“What were you doing in the forest alone, Frank?”

“Uh...strolling.

Leo shook his head, as if he didn’t believe that, then reached for Frank’s side, “How’s your wound?”

Frank flinched away, and the realisation that it was this boy who had treated him made him feel a little hot.

“It’s fine. I...did you help me?”

“Yeah,” Leo puffed out his chest proudly, “I _saved _you.”

Frank raised an eyebrow, “All by yourself?”

“Of course!” Leo boasted, trying to make himself look bigger than he was, “Do I not look capable?”

Frank bit back a grin, “Let me not answer that.”

Leo didn’t look offended, “So, Frank, do you have any family in the city or a nearby town? I have a car, I could drop you off.”

A pang of loneliness went through Frank, and Leo must have noticed his crestfallen expression. The werewolf quickly looked away, “No,” he said, “I...uh...I came to that town all by myself.”

“Riiiight,” Leo looked a little worried, “So what’s your plan?”

“Plan?” Frank blinked. Shit. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, and he had never been alone, his Alpha had always been there to take care of him.

“I could get you a hotel room?”

“I don’t have any money...”

Leo looked surprised, “Seriously?” he glanced over Frank’s naked body, “Do you have any clothes, a car, anything?”

Frank shook his head. Leo sighed.

“Right,” he rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I’m going to be looking for a new job, so I’m sure you’ll find one too. In the meantime I suppose you can stay here with me-“

“Woah!” Frank lifted his hands up in front of his chest, “What do you mean _here _with _you?”_

Leo shrugged, “What? It’s not a big deal. The bed’s big enough or I can get you a sleeping bag. Why do you look so _offended?”_

_He’s a hunter. _Frank’s heart pounded. He could smell the gunpowder on Leo, the silver. If the boy ever found out..._but there’s no alternative. It’ll only be for a bit._

“Nah, it’s just a bit...,” Frank shrugged awkwardly, “I suppose I’ll take it.”

“_Take it?” _Leo scoffed, “I’m showing you mercy and the goodness of my heart and that’s all you can muster?!”

Frank walked past him, “Have you got any food?”

“_Put some clothes on!”_

***

Four days later Leo felt like he had somehow acquired a stray puppy, or that’s what it felt like to live with Frank. There was something...uncivilised about him; Leo bought him a bunch of clothes but most of the time Frank walked around the warehouse half-naked. He left his socks everywhere, never did the dishes, ate with his hands, and when he showered he’d shake his head like a dog, which was a little endearing.

For the most part Leo didn’t actually mind having a new roommate, even if he was cocky and they fought over everything. It was actually nice to have company. Problem was, Leo was very gay, and Frank was _very _attractive. When the human had scrubbed him clean and dressed his wounds while the man was unconscious he had been shocked at how angular and handsome his face was, and his body looked like it was made of marble – Leo didn’t know if he wanted to lick Frank’s abs, or acquire them.

But Leo had bigger issues to worry about than Frank’s heavenly body and his own sexual frustration; thankfully nobody from the Institute knew where he lived (mostly because he didn’t want them to think it was weird that he lived in a converted office in a factory), but his phone had been blowing up with calls from Piper, Zeus, Mr D and even Percy a few times, until Leo turned it off. He knew he couldn’t face the Director after his failure, and now he had Frank to take care of. Faking his death seemed like a viable option.

On the fifth night of Frank’s stay, Leo came home with pamphlets for jobs tucked under his arm and his toolbox in his hand – he was mostly doing freelance mechanics for some family friends so that the water didn’t get shut off until he found something more stable.

“I’m home!” he called, and he had to admit it was lovely to be able to say that, to have someone wait for him.

Frank popped his head out of the side-room that housed Leo’s kitchen, grinning a little sheepishly, “Hi!”

Leo walked towards him, holding out the pamphlets, “They have a delivery guy and a waiter at a cafe down the road today.”

“I can’t drive,” Frank said quickly and blocked the door with his body. Leo raised an eyebrow, Frank smiled like a child who knew he was about to get in trouble.

“Fraaaank,” Leo said slowly, “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Frank squeaked, which sounded amusing coming from such a big guy, “I’ll clean it up, I swear!”

Leo shoved past him and walked into his kitchen, which looked like it belonged in an office. Everything was covered in batter.

“Frank!” Leo dropped the pamphlets, horrified, “What did you do?!”

“I tried to make pizza,” Frank said quietly, and when Leo turned around he was staring at his shoes. Only then did Leo notice that his t-shirt was also stained, “I just...I feel a bit useless. I wanted to make something nice but I fucked it up...as always.”

Leo sighed, unable to be mad when Frank looked so pitiful. He plucked a piece of dried batter out of Frank’s hair, smiling fondly.

“It’s alright. I appreciate the thought.”

Frank was looking at him intensely, “You smell like sweat,” he blurted.

Leo felt a blush rising to his face and he quickly turned away, “Uh...yeah. I’m gonna shower. I’ll order us a pizza first though, yeah?”

Half an hour later they were both in the bedroom and Leo was laying a cardboard box on the bed that they now shared. Usually they built a kind of pillow fort between them but the bed was huge and so they never had any awkward middle of the night experiences.

“What do you want to watch?” Leo asked, going onto his computer. It had become a kind of lifestyle the past five days; no more excitement of getting cases at the Institute, and the dullness of filling out paper work. Now Leo’s days were filled with chatting with friends as he fixed their cars and lawnmowers, then getting takeaway and watching shitting B-rated horror movies with Frank.

It was actually quite nice.

“Can we watch ‘The Cabin in the Woods’?”

“No, we watched it yesterday and it’s shit.”

“It’s so good!”

Leo ignored him, and put on ‘Insidious.’

“You’ll like this one.”

“No, I won’t,” Frank grumbled, “It’s scary.”

“I’ll protect you-“ Leo turned to the bed and stopped mid-word, “_Frank! _Shirt _on! _How many times do I have to tell you?!”

“But I’m too warm-“ Frank began to complain.

Then there was a loud banging on the front door, echoing through the factory and making both the men flinch. Leo’s heart started to pound – he never, _ever _got visitors.

“Pizza delivery guy wanting a bigger tip?” he offered sheepishly, seeing the panic in Frank’s eyes – the man hated going outside, though Leo hadn’t figured out why yet, “Don’t worry,” he smiled, cursing himself for forgetting to turn off the main lights in the factory, “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He was shitting himself as he crept down the stairs and towards the main door. It didn’t help that it was a rainy night outside and the water was pounding on the roof of the old building. All the horror movies Leo had watched with Frank in the last few days replayed in his mind; the place might have been protected so that monsters couldn’t enter unless Leo invited them inside, but that didn’t mean Leo couldn’t be spooked.

He gulped and approached his door. The rain made a soft _shhhh _resonate throughout the factor, and just as Leo lifted his hand to open the door the banging came again. He jumped away from the door, heart hammering, wishing he had brought his gun from the bedroom. _Stop being a coward, _he gritted his teeth and quickly shoved open the metal door before he could chicken out.

He was shocked to see a familiar, irritated woman on the doorstep instead of some terrible monster.

“S-Sherriff!” Leo spluttered.

“Where is the man?” Reyna asked, peering around Leo, glaring from beneath the dark, wet hood of her raincoat.

“Uh...I-I don’t know?” Leo offered, his terror seeping away. He glanced behind him but Frank had disappeared from sight.

Reyna’s nostrils flared and her eyes snapped to Leo’s, “What do you mean you _don’t know?”_

“I-I...um, I quit the Institute. They have all the files about the case,” Leo tried to subtly close the door, “and I’m actually getting ready for bed so...”

Reyna looked like she wanted to slice his throat but she stood back, “Fine,” she barked, “I’ll go to the Institute. If you hear anything about the man, call me,” she shoved a business card in his face and Leo took it tentatively and then scurried behind the door, shutting and locking it. He exhaled.

“Why is she looking for me?” Frank looked genuinely afraid as he hovered near the stairs.

“How did you hear that?”

“Am I in trouble?” Frank asked. Leo shook his head.

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” he approached the man, “What I’m confused about is how she found out where I live, even the Institute doesn’t know that...”

Frank was gnawing at his fingernails, looking lost in anxious thought. Leo came up to him and tugged on his arm, “Don’t do that,” he said gently, “It’s bad for your health. My _abuelita _used to say that.”

Frank glanced at him, then visibly relaxed, “Thanks, Leo.”

“No problem,” Leo realised how close they were standing and turned to the stairs, “As long as you’re not a wanted serial killer or something.”

Frank rolled his eyes, “Trust me, if I was I’d already have killed your annoying ass.”

They went back up the stairs and Leo shut off the lights in the factory. His bedroom was like a box of warmth. Frank settled on the bed, pulling the pizza into his lap, and pressed play on the computer as Leo pulled the curtains shut over his windows. From the outside it’d look as if nobody was here.

Frank sat with the pizza and looked worried, gnawing at his lip.

“Hey,” Leo said gently, sitting down next to him. Frank looked at him, face illuminated by the flickering light of the movie neither of them was watching, “Are you scared the werewolf is going to hunt you down?”

Frank smiled palely, “Something like that,” he whispered. Leo smiled.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe here and-“ his eyes bulged, “_Frank! _Where the _fuck _is the pizza?!”

“What?” Frank mumbled, “I stress eat.”

With a groan Leo flopped back against the pillows.

***

Life leisurely flowed by. After a week and a half Frank deemed that it was moderately safe and agreed to take a job as a barista in a coffee shop ten minutes away from the factory, though every afternoon that he came home he’d anxiously glance around the street, ensuring his Alpha wasn’t waiting for him in the shadowy alleyways.

A month passed without either of the boys noticing. Leo continued to freelance, and together they made enough to pay the bills, with Frank saving up for a deposit on a flat. They didn’t really speak about their situation, they both just settled in comfortably into domestic life, as if they were an old married couple. Reyna came back a few times to question Leo but eventually she gave up and returned to Alder, probably to prepare her officers for the next full moon and a possible attack from the werewolf.

Frank, lost in the bliss of everyday life, forgot about the full moon. Thankfully he was home alone that night, cooking pasta in Leo’s weird little kitchen and waiting for the Latino to come home from work. It was then that he felt it – that tug in his gut, the familiar heat spreading through his body.

“No,” he whispered, and in a panic managed to switch the gas off, “No, no, no,” he ran from the bathroom and tried to make it to stairs to the bedroom, but he didn’t manage. It happened so quickly, every time, but this time Frank was alone, for the first time. He had no guidance and he was _terrified._

The world shifted, the smells grew sharper, the sounds of the canal calmly shifting by outside, the main road just a few minutes away, a party somewhere nearby, the sound of trees outside. And everything was permeated by the _smell._

Growling under his breath Frank’s body moved on its own – it wasn’t _his _body, it was the monster body in which he was hunched over and covered in black fur and his eyes blazed. He scrambled up the stairs, exploded into Leo’s bedroom.

_Here. _That smell – it was _here. _Sweet, like caramel and cinnamon and apples and a little tangy, with hints of motor oil and sweat and – _Leo. _It was Leo’s scent.

Frank couldn’t think straight, his wolf taking over. He ravaged through the room, pulled Leo’s clothes out of the closet, ripping half of them in the process as he buried his nuzzle in them, inhaling. Everything in his body seemed to sing, telling him this was his home, that he belonged with the owner of these clothes.

The front door opened and Frank winced at the loud noise as it did.

“Frank?” Leo called, and Frank barrelled downstairs in a frenzy. He had time to register Leo’s horrified expression before he had him down on the floor, pining his small body down with his own much stronger now.

Leo was breathing hard, trying to push Frank off and shield his throat at the same time, “S-Stop! Get off me-“

He didn’t have any weapons on him, but Frank wasn’t going to hurt him. He growled, low in his throat, and Leo froze. Frank could smell his fear and it agitated him – he didn’t want his baby to be scared.

He knew he was hideous, that he was _scaring _the boy, but he couldn’t stay stop himself. Slowly, he licked the boy’s cheek. Leo trembled, eyes wide and full of terrified tears as he stared at Frank, trying to anticipate his next move.

Frank took a little of his weight off the human and the air stilled in the factory, the night grew calm. Frank whimpered, and nuzzled Leo’s neck.

“F-Frank?” Leo asked, voice helpless and trembling. Frank pulled his huge, ragged head back and saw Leo looking up at him in shock. The boy reached up and the werewolf nuzzled his hand, licking at his palm and nipping at his fingers playfully. _Don’t be scared of me, _he wanted to say, _please don’t be scared. You’re mine. I love you. _He didn’t know where these thoughts were coming from but they felt so _right. _

Leo exhaled and relaxed against the floor, realising Frank wasn’t planning on eating him any time soon. Leo brushed his fingers gently through the wolf’s fur and smiled.

And then Frank smelled it – smelled _him. _The sour, toxic smell. His head snapped up to the door Leo had left open and then he was shooting out into the chilly night, running across the canal and exploding into the forest on the other side. It was only a small woods that circled a park but somehow _he _was here, in the city that he had always warned Frank not to delve into.

Frank found him easily; not by his instinct to follow his Alpha, but by his smell. He waited for Frank in a clearing, stalking back and forth with impatience. He was as huge and terrorizing as Frank remembered, and his fur was drowned in blood.

_Here you are, _his voice sounded in Frank’s head and the wolf gritted his teeth and fought the urge to bow to his Alpha, _my little pup. I see you survived. _

_What do you want?_

His Alpha growled, _To settle this. You have disrespected me, little pup. Come back to Alder with me and complete your duty and I will forgive you._

_No, _Frank snarled at him, _I won’t kill for you anymore._

_Do not make hasty decisions, remember we are last of our kind. You think that little human hunter will take you back now he knows what you are?_

Frank’s heart clenched, and the Alpha continued, walking in a slow circle around the smaller werewolf.

_You’ve imprinted on him like a baby duck. How pathetic. I’ve taught you better._

_Leave us alone, _Frank bared his teeth at his Alpha, and was surprised when he didn’t jump forward and rip his throat out. Instead he stopped pacing and seemed amused.

_I’ll give you a month to consider your decision. On the next full moon you will return to Alder with your decision; you will thrive with me, or you will die._

Frank didn’t get to give him a response, because just like that his Alpha was gone, dashing into the woods. Frank sat back on his haunches and looked at the moon over-head, the silver clouds dancing across it. He threw his head back and howled in misery.

***

Dawn found Frank in some bushes, where he transformed back into his human form and then, naked and confused, stumbled through the forest. By pure chance he came out by the canal, and could see Leo’s warehouse up ahead. Without many other options, absolutely exhausted, Frank wadded through the dirty canal, and then stood in front of the building.

He didn’t know what to do. Dawn spilled pink light onto the water behind him and Frank stood, naked, cold and soaked staring at the door to Leo’s warehouse. He wanted to cry. He had ruined everything. He knew Leo could very easily shoot him out here in the open but he didn’t care; he hadn’t realised how much he had craved this, how much he had wanted someone to rely on, someone to care for him in a way that was different from his Alpha’s. He had gotten a taste of just that, and now it was gone.

Frank blinked the tears out of his eyes, or at least tried to.

Then the door opened with a loud metallic _riiiiiip. _Frank flinched backwards, expecting a weapon pointed at him. Instead Leo flew out of the house in a flurry, like a concerned wife, blanket in arms.

“Frank!” he exclaimed, throwing the blanket around the shocked werewolf’s shoulders, “Fuck, are you alright?” he gripped the man’s face, saw it was speckled with blood, “Is it yours?” Frank shook his head mutely, “Is it a human’s?” another shake. Leo exhaled, and relaxed, and stroked Frank’s face for a second before remembering where and who they were.

“Let’s get you inside,” Leo put a caring arm on Frank’s back and led the quiet, disorientated werewolf into the building. He locked the door behind them, then led Frank upstairs and into his en-suite bathroom.

Frank was like a child, his eyes wouldn’t focus and his brain was mush – it was always like this but usually he had Alpha to take care of him. Now he had Leo.

The boy sat him in the bath and pulled the blanket off him, glancing away from Frank’s naked body. He turned on the shower and warm water cascaded down Frank’s back. He closed his eyes.

“Tell me if it’s too warm,” Leo said, leaning over the bath to adjust the water, sleeves rolled up. Frank gazed at him, and the thoughts that had flew through his head when he had Leo pinned to the floor the previous nights were still there. They had been there for a while, Frank just hadn’t paid them any attention. He looked at Leo now, his flannel shirt riding up, his damp curls, the way he smelled. He looked exhausted.

“It’s perfect,” Frank said hoarsely, eyes still on Leo, then asked, “Aren’t you scared of me?” he was afraid of the reply. But Leo just let go of the shower and looked down at him with soft eyes.

“No. You didn’t hurt me last night, and you could have killed me.”

Frank looked down at the murky water going down the drain, washing away a night in the woods.

“You could have killed me too, you’re a hunter.”

“Not anymore,” Leo headed for the door, “Take all the time you need.”

Frank sat in the shower for ages, thinking about last night’s events, about what Alpha had said to him, until he felt a little more alert and had scrubbed himself clean and made his fingers wrinkly. Then he came out and dried himself with a towel Leo left for him, and put on soft sweatpants and the cotton shirt the Latino had left folded on the washing machine. He felt much, much better.

When he came into the bedroom he found Leo dressing for work. He had obviously cleaned the room in the night and there was a plate of sandwiches on the bedside table, alongside a steaming cup of tea.

“I thought you’d be hungry,” Leo was doing up the buttons on his shirt, “So I-“

Something overtook Frank – sometimes as a human his wolf would take control and Frank would run on pure instinct, and this was one of those times because suddenly he saw red and the thought of Leo leaving was unbearable. He was just so _perfect, _and he had taken such good care of Frank, and he was the only thing Frank needed in his life.

He grabbed him by the wrist, too roughly, and Leo gave him a peeved look before Frank threw him on the bed, also too hard. The boy’s small body bounced as it hit the sheets.

“Frank-“ he started, but Frank was already on top of him, pinning his wrists down and nosing at his neck, the same way he had done with he had been a wolf, “F-Frank, stop, what-“

Heat descended onto Frank, and only when he opened his mouth to lick and suck at Leo’s heavenly, slender neck, did he realise that he was in rut. It had happened only a handful of times before, and usually right after a full moon, but never with such intensity. There was something in Frank that _demanded _he breed Leo right then and there, make him completely his.

“F-Frank...,” Leo’s voice was getting breathier as Frank sucked on his pulse point, then grazed it with his teeth. The boy wasn’t struggling though; his wrists were limp in Frank’s grasp and he was just laying there, shivering.

Frank wanted desperately to kiss him, to see what he tasted like. He kissed over his jaw, and captured his lips in an obscenely hungry kiss, immediately delving his tongue into the human’s mouth. Leo whimpered, and Frank gripped his throat with one hand, afraid the boy would try to escape.

But Leo didn’t. He rested his hand on top of Frank’s and kissed him back, and the werewolf calmed down when he realised the boy wasn’t going to abandon him. They pulled apart for a second, panting into each other’s mouths, and Frank tried to catch Leo’s lips again, but the boy turned his head.

“Frankie, wait-“

“Mine,” Frank growled, it was the only thing he could say and he hoped Leo understood. He kissed him again hungrily. He couldn’t muster up a sober thought, all that went round in his brain was _Leo _and _mate _and _mine. _

Leo submitted to him and when Frank was sure the boy would remain there he allowed his hands to wander and touch the boy everywhere. He ripped off his shirt, shoved the boy’s trousers off, ignoring his soft protest about how he had to go to work, and then he laid siege to Leo’s perfect, naked body, kissing and biting and lapping at every inch he could find. Everything smelled like Leo and Frank felt drunk with desire.

He spent a long time licking Leo’s thighs and nuzzling them with his nose and Leo didn’t do anything except lay his hands on Frank’s head and thread his fingers through his hair. Frank dipped lower.

“No,” Leo tugged on his hair, Frank growled into his skin and Leo tugged again, “Don’t, I haven’t showered a-and-_nghh,” _his head fell against the pillows when Frank suddenly pushed his legs upwards and plunged his tongue into the boy’s hole. He wanted to eat him up, and this seemed like a good place to start.

But Leo protested, “N-No, s-seriously, Frank s-stop that...I-I..._ah! _I-I haven’t...i-it’s gross...it’s...,” his voice faded into breathy, desperate breaths as Frank continued his ministrations and made it clear he wasn’t stopping. He grabbed Leo’s impressive ass in his hands and squeezed and melded the cheeks as he prepared Leo for something much bigger.

His lust was making him feel light-headed, he was acting like an animal and he couldn’t do anything about it. Somewhere in his head he heard a voice telling him to stop, to tell Leo his feelings before he did this, but he couldn’t control himself.

Not until he saw Leo. He pulled his tongue out of the boy’s ass, ready to just plunge his cock inside him and fuck him into oblivion, but Leo was a state. His face was red, hair crumpled, body covered in bites and hickeys and quickly forming bruises. His eyes were dazed, unfocused. He looked like a sexy mess, but he also looked completely out of it.

Frank regained clarity for a second, “Shit,” he scrambled off the bed, panting, “S-Shit, Leo, I’m sorry-,” he turned to the door. He had to leave before Leo’s scent drove him crazy again.

“No!” Leo actually _whined, _freezing Frank for a second. He turned back around to face the bed and saw Leo sitting up and reaching for him, “Come back.”

“Leo I’m going to hurt you,” Frank whispered, already feeling his instincts taking over again – the sight of Leo was intoxicating.

“Come _back,” _the ex-hunter said firmly.

Frank didn’t need to be told a third time as he climbed back on top of Leo and claimed his mouth again, and Leo was soft and plaint and submissive. Frank pulled off his own oppressing shirt and then the sweatpants, and he was left hard and leaking. Leo took one look at his erection and his cheeks flushed redder.

“_Please,” _he gasped, wrapping his legs around Frank’s waist and tugging him closer, “Please, I-“

Frank flipped him around with ease, as if Leo was a doll, and then pressed him into the bed, grinding his cock against the boy’s ass and attacking the back of his neck with bites and kisses.

“_Frank,” _Leo whined, grinding back up against the werewolf, “Please, I-I want you, please...”

Frank gripped his hair and shoved his head into the pillows so his ass was up in the air, slick with spit and the precum Frank had rubbed against it. If he had been his normal self he would have taken time to prepare Leo, but he wasn’t thinking straight, so he gripped his erection and shoved it into the boy.

Leo cried out in pain and tried to twist around but Frank held him down and continued sinking into him. He needed this, his inner wolf howled in ecstasy.

“Frank,” Leo whispered, pain lacing his words. Frank froze, half inside of the human.

He tried to clear his head but it was impossible now that Leo’s throbbing, hot walls were clenching around him.

“S-Sorry,” he managed to growl out, then let go of Leo’s head and intertwined their fingers together, preventing his hips from slamming forward. He panted against the back of Leo’s neck and kissed it sloppily, “I want you,” he muttered gruffly. It was hard to speak, everything was spinning.

Leo squeezed his hand tightly, “G-Go,” he whispered.

Frank fucked him for hours, thrusting into him with abandon, biting and sucking every inch of skin he could reach. And Leo just took it, moaning and whining and clawing at Frank’s back, coming over and over until he was exhausted and barely coherent and the sun had began to set. Only then did Frank finally regain enough of his mind back to allow himself to orgasm, and collapse on-top of Leo, spent.

“Good,” Leo slurred, hugging Frank into his chest. The werewolf tried to catch his breath, dizzy, “So good,” Leo kissed the top of his head sloppily, barely conscious and sticky with their mix come.

Frank’s clarity was back. He sat up and looked at the mess he made, at Leo who was completely marked by him. He brushed the boy’s damp hair from his sweaty forehead, heart heavy, remembering every bite, every rough thrust.

“I’m sorry,” his voice broke. Leo opened his eyes, grabbed his hand, kissed it, then placed it on his cheek and smiled.

“Don’t be,” he whispered, then winced as he rolled onto his side.

“We should shower,” Frank said.

“Later,” Leo closed his eyes. He was still holding Frank’s hand and he squeezed it now, “Come sleep.”

Helplessly Frank laid down next to him. He was scared to touch Leo, so scared. How long had they been fucking? What toll would it have on Leo’s body? Frank’s chest brimmed with emotion.

“I want to stay with you,” he blurted, not thinking twice about it.

Leo threw a clumsy arm around him and hugged himself into Frank, “You’re a good werewolf. I thought all monsters were bad.”

Frank tensed, “I killed people, Leo.”

Leo looked at him, a little more awake, “You were the werewolf that committed all those crimes?”

Frank shook his head, “No. There was a second werewolf. My Alpha.”

“See?” Leo smiled, “I knew it couldn’t have been you. You’re too gentle.”

Frank felt like he could cry, “No, I’m not,” he touched a purple bruise on Leo’s shoulder.

“Stop it,” Leo whispered, “I liked it. I really fucking liked it. If I had wanted you to stop I would have said.”

“But you did. A-At the beginning you-“

“I was just embarrassed,” Leo interrupted, blushing, “Cause I’ve never...y’know. I’d hook up with random guys but they never did stuff like _that, _always just cut to the chase...”

Frank hugged him hard.

“Ouch!” Leo protested, “Everything aches, relax big guy.”

Frank kissed him desperately, “You’re perfect, you know that? You’re so perfect,” he knew he was gushing but couldn’t stop, “You’re the only one for me, the only one I want.”

Leo’s eyes widened, “Uh...that’s a lot.”

“S-Sorry,” Frank blushed, then bit his lip.

They laid there in silence for a little bit as their bedroom filled with shadows. Leo stroked Frank’s muscular arm and every so often Frank would kiss his forehead.

“How does it feel?” Leo asked suddenly in a quiet voice, “To be a wolf?”

“Terrifying,” Frank replied instantly, “I have so little control over my body. Even when we were having sex, I felt like I couldn’t hold myself back. I’m also controlled by my Alpha, but that’s easier to fight.”

“Whose your Alpha?”

“His name is Kronos, he’s the one who has been murdering the villagers for the past three months. He...,” Frank shook his head and cradled Leo closer protectively, “It’s a long story.”

“I want to hear. Please tell me.”

Frank sighed, “The werewolf curse ran in my family, and activated when I turned thirteen. My grandmother tried to keep me a secret but she soon died and people were starting to get suspicious because sheep were going missing. Sheep and lambs, even cats. I couldn’t control it, I was too young. So I ran away, convinced I was the last one. I met other monsters, they took care for me for a bit but I needed guidance and eventually they took me to him, to Kronos. We were the last two werewolves, he told me, descendants of the same clan, we were pack. He taught me how to hunt, how to rely on my instincts. He made full-moon’s less terrifying. But then, as I got older, he’d start disappearing during the hunts and the forests would fill with screams and the smell of blood. We never stayed in one place for long. Soon I found out who he really was, what he _really _did. Werewolves _aren’t _monsters, we don’t need to feed on humans. But he wanted to. He thought he was superior. He killed innocents, at first he made me watch, then he made me eat with him, and then-,” Frank looked away and Leo fought the urge to take him into his arms, “and then he told me to kill. A little girl, from that town you found me in. I said no. We fought. He hurt me, and then you found me.”

“Wow,” Leo was in shock, “You’ve been through some shit.”

“But it’s all fine now,” Frank whispered, “I’ve found you and that’s all that matters.”

“Stop being soppy, we still have to find Kronos.”

“That won’t be hard,” Frank said darkly.

“What do you mean?” Leo questioned, but he was already dozing off.

***

_ANOTHER TWO DEAD IN MYSTERY SERIAL KILLER CASE._

The bold letters stared at Leo from the newspaper as he drank a cup of coffee in the kitchen. He believed that Frank wasn’t the one doing this, and the newspaper confirmed it, and yet he couldn’t help but feel a dull ache in his chest as he read over the article. He had allowed this to happen by not reporting to the Institute...but if he did he’d have to mention Frank, and give him up. Frank would be killed.

“You got the paper?” the werewolf appeared in the doorway of the kitchen in just his boxers, hair sticking up and eyes sleepy. Leo averted his eyes, heart throbbing.

“Frank, _clothes.”_

“Does it matter?” Frank grumbled, “What’s in the paper?”

Leo passed it to him and quickly drank his coffee as Frank read.

“Son of a bitch,” the werewolf whispered under his breath and angrily slammed the newspaper against the counter. Then he leaned against it heavily and rubbed his face, “It’s all my fault,” he whispered.

“No. It’s _my _fault. This happened because I failed at my job,” Leo said, then sighed, “I always was a lousy hunter,” he laughed awkwardly. He couldn’t look Frank in the eye, remembering the hours they had spent together the previous night. It made his face burn red. The tension in the air was palpable.

Then Frank’s arm shot out and he grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled the boy up against him, wrapping his arms around the boy. Leo felt like he was enveloped in a huge, warm blanket and shivered as he leaned into Frank’s embrace.

“This is nice,” the werewolf said sleepily.

Leo pulled away from his embrace, “What are we doing here, Frank?” he asked softly.

“What do you mean?” the werewolf looked confused. Leo sighed and stepped away.

“I don’t know what last night was about, but I really enjoyed it,” he hugged himself and looked at his feet, “That said I can’t just leave things as they are, because Kronos will continue killing.”

Frank’s fear should have been that Leo was implying he was going to give him up to the hunters, but that wasn’t what went through his head. What _did _go through his head was agony, because Leo – his mate, the one person for him – was _rejecting _him. Frank didn’t know how this worked; Kronos never found his mate and he thought it was all bullshit but Frank had read up on werewolves, and he knew mates were a thing, and the insistent tug in his heart, stronger than his bond with his Alpha, towards Leo was so intense he knew Leo was the one. But how was he supposed to explain that to him?

A pounding sounded on the metal door, angry and echoing through the factory.

“I’ll get it,” Frank blurted, because he had to get away from Leo and this pain blooming in his chest. He crossed the warehouse that had over the last month become his home and, without thinking twice, pulled the front door open.

He wasn’t met with a delivery guy or a Jehovah’s Witness, and he realised how quickly and foolishly he had acted when his eyes met the ones of a female Sheriff. She looked just as surprised to see him.

“Fuck,” Frank swore and turned away from the door.

“Wait!” the woman shouted, and Frank froze. Something wasn’t right. He sniffed the air.

“Who is it?” Leo came out of the kitchen and his eyes widened when he saw the woman.

“S-Sherriff Ramirez?!” he spluttered.

“You lying little shit,” Reyna hissed at him, but then shook her head, “Whatever, good thing you’re here,” she looked at Frank, “your Alpha killed two teenagers last night.”

Frank’s hands clenched into fists at his side, “I know. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Woah!” Leo stood between them, “Hold up,” he looked at Reyna, “How do you know he has an Alpha?”

Reyna rolled her eyes, but it was Frank who answered, “She’s a creature, I can smell it on her. Smells like a bog.”

Reyna glared at him, “Thanks, big guy.” She looked at Leo and sighed, “Alright, so I haven’t been completely honest with you, but you’ve lied this whole time too. I’m a banshee.”

Leo’s eyes bulged from his head, _“What?!”_

“In fact the whole of Alder is populated mostly by supernatural creatures.”

Leo looked like he was going to have a heart attack. Then he started laughing and rubbed a hand down his face, “Of course. So many monsters under my nose and I didn’t even notice. I’m fucking useless.”

“We’re not monsters,” Reyna snarled, “We don’t hurt anyone, we’re just trying to live in peace and _your _people hunt us!”

Leo dropped his hand, “I’m not a hunter anymore.”

“Clearly,” Reyna looked pointedly at Frank, who was almost naked, and Leo wearing his t-shirt, neck covered in bites and bruises, “But that’s besides the point, will you invite me in? We have to deal with this werewolf?”

“Sure,” Leo was still in shock, but things were starting to make sense – Reyna had never even once made a move to search the factory, and now Leo understood why, “Come in.”

His magic ban lifted for Reyna, and she strolled in. Leo noticed the gun at her waist, and her gleaming Sherriff’s badge.

“Nice place you got here,” she looked at the ceilings, a very long way up, “You’ve got somewhere we can sit?”

That’s how Frank – now dressed -, Leo and Reyna ended up sitting on Leo’s bed, a little awkwardly.

“So, I’ve got a few questions first before we launch this military operation,” the owner of the bed begun. Reyna looked a little irritated but she nodded.

“Go on, ask away. We’ve got till the next full moon to figure this out anyway.”

Frank fidgeted awkwardly; he had barely said a word since Reyna came in.

“I know I’m a lousy hunter, I think everyone knows that, but how in the hell did the town manage to stay undercover during my visit?” Leo asked.

Reyna shrugged, “It wasn’t that hard. We’ve got ears in the Institute, we knew they’d be sending someone, and you were so focused on finding the killer you barely looked twice at anyone else.”

“Weren’t you scared though?” Leo didn’t understand, “That I’d hurt you or something? That I’d figure it out?”

“We did all we could to keep you distracted. Do you remember your first day here? Do you remember anything weird about it?”

Leo frowned, “All of it was weird. Everything felt sleepy, and time went by so fast...”

“It didn’t go by fast,” Reyna shook her head, “We were trying to deter you from going after the werewolf. We were going to deal with it ourselves because we knew it was a greater evil – that it was Kronos, and that no hunter could deal with him. Hazel put a spell on the shop. You sat in her kitchen for hours, but to you it felt like minutes.”

“Hazel is a...?”

“Witch,” Reyna said, “So is Rachel. She broke the spell because she knew it was a waste of time. She can see the future, she predicted that you’d be the one to save the werewolf, deemed that more important and sent you on your way.”

“So...when I brought Frank back...the inn-keeper looked so shocked...”

“Annabeth,” Reyna smiled, “She’s a vampire, so is Jason. They were both terrified of the werewolf, and hadn’t expected you to show up on their property with one. Hell, they’re thinking of skipping town ever since they found out there were two.”

Leo remembered reading old books for his entry exam to the Institute, and remembered how it had talked of the eternal feud between Vampires and Werewolves, and how they were sworn enemies. For years the Vampires had reigned supreme, with the werewolves though to have died out. But now...

“I knew Kronos was back in town, but I had always believed he was the last werewolf,” Reyna continued, her eyes flitting to Frank, “That’s why when you dragged _another _werewolf into the station I couldn’t piece it together –he,” she glanced at Frank, “is in no supernatural databases. I assume Kronos wanted to keep him to himself, or use him as a secret weapon.”

“This is...a lot,” Leo said, feeling a headache coming on, “I...I don’t understand completely.”

“Just know our priority was to protect people,” Reyna said, a little more gentle, “From the evil that is Kronos. There are records of his massacres in all supernatural databases. We didn’t want you to get hurt, or anyone else. That night you went hunting for him we were all there, ready to protect you. That tree falling, that was Hazel.”

Leo remembered how Reyna and her officers had swept into the forest – it was very coincidental.

“So you thought I couldn’t do it?”

“I _knew _you couldn’t do it,” Reyna interjected, “Kronos is one of the evilest creatures I’ve ever heard of. He’s a _monster. _He’s killed dozens of innocent people, including children, and not just in his wolf form. His appearance in Alder puts everyone at risk.”

“Don’t worry,” Leo said, “I’ll tell the Institute, I’ll keep Frank out of it-“

“No,” Reyna said gruffly, “For years we had managed to stay under the radar and now we have both Kronos and the hunters on us. I won’t accept help if it means half the town gets executed afterwards.”

Leo felt sick, “What can we do then?”

“Deal with Kronos ourselves and then do what our grandparents had to do – glamour spells by the coven. The town will disappear from people’s memories, and nobody with ill intentions will be able to find it.”

“Will it be safe?”

“Yes.”

Leo turned to Frank with a sudden determination, “You must go there once this is over,” he blurted, “You’ll be protected-“

“No,” Frank grabbed his arm, “No, absolutely not, if Zeus finds out about this he’ll kill you-“

“Why don’t you both stay?” Reyna interrupted, then slyly glanced at Leo, “Unless you’d rather continue killing innocent creatures?”

“I told you I’m not a hunter anymore,” Leo said passionately. He looked at Frank helplessly, and his heart brimmed with emotion but everything was happening so _fast. _A month ago he had been killing creatures, and now he was in love with one. Reyna was right – neither of them were monsters, Hazel and Annabeth the inn-keeper and Jason and Rachel and all the other creatures that Leo had passed on the streets of Alder, they weren’t monsters either.

“I’ll keep in contact,” Reyna sensed the tension in the room and stood up, “I doubt Kronos will attack before the next full moon but I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thank you,” Frank stood up, voice genuine, “I mean it.”

Reyna smiled, “You don’t pick your Alphas,” she said, and walked out of the bedroom.

Frank sat back down. Leo leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. They sat in silence for a while.

“I should leave,” Frank said softly. Leo opened his eyes. Frank was sitting on the edge, his broad back to Leo.

“What?” the ex-hunter whispered, “No. Why?” he asked, more aggressively.

“I’m putting you in danger,” Frank stood, “I’d be better off in Alder, where I can help the Sherriff come up with a plan-“

Leo jumped off the bed and blocked the door with his body, “No,” he said firmly.

“Leo,” Frank sighed.

“If you think you get to just abandon me after all this-“

Frank’s eyes flashes yellow with anger and suddenly he had Leo pressed up against the door, “Don’t say that,” his voice sounded like a growl, “I’d never abandon you, I’d-“

Leo kissed him feverishly and Frank crushed him against the door but Leo didn’t care. He felt like crying, he was so overwhelmed, and the only thing he wanted was for Frank to stay right there, so close to him. Frank sensed his fears because he ended the kiss and nuzzled Leo’s neck and cheek, covering his body with his own.

“I’m not abandoning you,” he whispered, and Leo looped his arms around the man’s neck and squeezed, eyes falling shut. Frank pressed feather-light kisses to the hickeys and teeth marks he had left on the boy’s skin, “You’re mine, Leo, only mine.”

Leo shivered, “You keep saying that, what does that _mean?”_

“That I love you,” Frank blurted. Leo’s eyes widened and Frank wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tightly, afraid he’d try to run, “I’ve fallen in love with you and I don’t know what to do. I’m scared you’ll get hurt. I’m so scared, Leo.”

“Hey, hey,” Leo whispered and gently patted Frank’s hair, “It’s alright, I’m a tough guy.”

Frank kissed him again, softly this time, and when he pulled away Leo was smiling sweetly.

“Whatever happens we’ll face it together, and when we beat Kronos we can move to Alder and live happily ever after.”

“This isn’t a fairytale, Leo,” Frank murmured, but he was smiling too.

“Whatever, it can be a stupid B-rated horror movie for all I care, as long as we’re together.”


	6. _hades_ (Will x Nico)

**AU where watching lives of a certain dark haired camboy who wears a black mask in every video is one of Will's biggest guilty pleasure but he can swear on his life that even with the mask the camboy looks strikingly familiar to his roommate and longtime crush Nico and- oh fuck wait are those the handcuffs Will gifted Nico as a gag gift?!  
For Yeehaaoowyoudoin'**

** **

Will was reclining in his bed, practically lying down and lazily scrolling through YouTube to try and find some kind of mind-numbing video that would send him to sleep. He was debating between watching ‘Top Ten Medical Innovations of 2019’ or a compilation of the best bits from David Dobrik’s vlogs, when his email pinged.

Will clicked the tab, and immediately sat up straight as his heart started to pound at the message. CAMCOM SUBSCRIPTIONS: _hades_ IS LIVE.

Immediately a shiver of excitement went through Will, and he felt himself growing hard in his short just from the _thought _of his favourite camboy posting a new, rare video – and to think it was live! Will rarely managed to catch him as he was streaming and usually just watched the video after the fact. With clammy fingers Will reached for his bedside stand, threw a glance at Nico’s, his roommates, empty bed, and shoved the earplugs into his laptop, then into his ears, before clicking onto the notification.

He had never thought he’d be someone to be subscribed to a porn channel – _especially _a camboy channel – but here he was, trembling in anticipation as the CamCom website came on and the video loaded. _hades_ was a rare poster, perhaps once or twice every month, but that’s what made this so pleasurable, the anticipation of seeing what glorious content he’d put up next. Will had watched and re-watched the eleven videos on his channel a million times, and cum to them so frequently that he could time his orgasm perfectly with _hades_’s at this point.

It was exhilarating.

The video loaded and Will’s heart pounded as it began to play. He clumsily pulled out his dick and, illuminated by the blue hue of the screen, began to slowly stroke himself as _hades_ began his show.

His face, as always, was covered with a black mask that looked like it belonged at a venetian carnival, so only his lips and jaw were visible. His hair was a dark, sexy mop on top of his head, tousled artfully, and he was wearing an oversized black sweater that covered his thighs. He had the sleeves pulled adorably over his small, pale hands, and was kneeling on the bed in the room in which he always filmed. Will watched with bated breath as _hades_ slowly, seductively pulled up the sweater, inch by inch, revealing the black lace panties he wore underneath, from which his pretty pink cock peeked out obscenely.

“F-Fuck,” Will gasped, barely audibly, eyes glued to the screen. He was terrified to blink, scared he’d miss something. To think that this boy was somewhere out there, doing this at the same time as Will, was intoxicating.

_hades_ let his sweater fall back down teasingly and it slipped off his shoulder, revealing tantalizing pale skin. Will wanted to touch him so badly, to rip that mask off his face and see how truly gorgeous he was.

But not knowing what the boy really looked like was part of it for Will...because for the past two months he had imagined it was Nico, his roommate. The blond bit his lip as he felt guilt seep into his stomach but he didn’t stop stroking himself, imagining that it was Nico underneath that mask. It was easy – the two looked strikingly similar, or at least for Will could tell. They had the same ivory skin and the same messy black hair, even their lips looked similar. Will had no idea what Nico’s body looked like, since he never got naked in front of him and wore oversized hoodies all the time, but as _hades_ seductively pulled the sweater over his head, ruffling his hair even more, Will imagined that his pink nipples and flat, pale stomach and jutting out hip-bones that ended where the black lace of the panties hugged his skin deliciously, were all Nico’s.

The first time Will had stumbled upon the dark haired beauty online was a little over four months ago, two months into the term starting. Will had been bored, and his roommate was out of town, so naturally he did what any healthy eighteen year old boy would do and decided to masturbate in his own bed, instead of sneaking off and doing it in the bathroom or while Nico was at a lecture. That night none of the usual PornHub stuff was doing it for him, and somehow he ended up venturing onto a webcam video, and then decided to look up a camboy website. That’s how he found CamCom, and very quickly stumbled upon _hades_, since he was the most popular person on the site.

Will hated that. He hated that so many other men were watching the boy and wanking off to him, and he knew it was stupid. _hades_ was an actor, a pornstar, an unattainable human being onto who Will projected the huge crush he had on his roommate, a crush he was too scared to act upon. But he still got jealous.

_hades_ was always muted and never took his mask off, but his shows were unlike anyone else’s; there was something sweet and innocent about him even when he was shoving a massive dildo inside himself, lips parted in a moan that nobody on the website could hear. Will, over the months he watched the boy’s shows, wanted desperately to know what he sounded like, what his mouth tasted like.

Instead he had to make do with watching. Now Will gripped his cock a little harder as _hades_ dipped his delicate fingers into his panties. The blond gazed at his every movement, every twitch of his fingertips, every flex of his thin wrist, he was mesmerised by the blush that spread from the boy’s half-hidden cheeks to the tips of his shoulders. He watched with bated breath, and _hades_ was just so _sexy, _and beautiful, and he looked _so much _like Nico.

Will pulled his eyes away from the show to glance at Nico’s dark bed, imagining the two of them tangled on it, Nico in _hades_’s dark panties. He bit his lip, and then he came before _hades_ even touched himself properly.

***

“Have you seen my Fallout Boy t-shirt?” Nico asked the moment Will walked into the room. The Italian boy was crouched on the ground next to his open suitcase in which different articles of clothing in different shades of black were haphazardly thrown in.

“Uh...no?” the blond offered, drying his hair with a towel. He had just taken his last shower in the dorm before Christmas break. He plopped down onto his bed and watched as Nico groaned, got up and stalked over to his closet.

“My train leaves in an hour and a half and I can’t fucking find it!” he raged.

“Well I haven’t taken it-“

“I know!” Nico snapped, whirling on Will, “I _know _you haven’t taken it, you don’t even _like _Fallout Boy.”

Will blinked. Nico’s shoulders slumped and he sighed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing a hand down his face, “I’m just stressed out. I should have booked my train for tomorrow morning like you.”

Will smiled sympathetically, “It’s alright. I know what will cheer you up.” He reached under his bed and pulled out a red, circular box with a bow on top. He held it out to his roommate, who looked even more defeated.

“You got me a Christmas present?” he asked.

“It’s just a few little things,” Will said. Nico sat down next to him on the bed, and Will’s heart skipped a beat at how close they were. He slid the box into Nico’s lap and the boy tentatively touched the lid with his delicate, pale hands.

“I...uh...,” a blush rose to his cheeks as he stared intensely at the box, “I haven’t gotten you anything,” he mumbled. Will chuckled, and couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and ruffling Nico’s hair.

“Don’t worry about it, just open it.”

Nico did so carefully, sliding the lid off. On top of a little pile of small, cluttered items was _Die, _a new horror comic that Nico had wanted to read for ages. Will watched as he carefully picked the pile apart, producing a lighter with a little black cat on it, a postcard from Venice, and a pocket-sized bottle of whisky.

“Will, you didn’t have to-,” Nico started, the froze when he saw the last present at the bottom. It was a set of black, fluffy handcuffs. Will’s heart clenched as he waited for Nico’s reaction – he had seen the cuffs in a lingerie shop the previous week as he had walked past, and they were on sale, and Will had thought of _hades_ and had bought them impulsively. And now he was regretting putting it in the gift.

“They’re for a joke!” he said quickly, too loud, and laughed awkwardly. Nico chuckled softly under his breath, then closed the box and hugged Will. The blond’s heart began to pound; Nico was so rarely affectionate and now he wanted to wrap his arms around the boy and squeezed him close-

Nico pulled away, too quickly.

“Merry Christmas, Will. I’m gonna miss you over break.”

Will smiled, “I’m gonna miss you too.”

Nico’s beautiful, flushed face twisted in surprise suddenly, “Fuck! My train!” he scrambled to his feet.

***

By the third week of Christmas, time was dragging. Will liked being home in his and his mum’s artsy flat in Austin, and fall asleep while she strummed her guitar in the living-room, but he yearned to go back to college, to see Nico.

They texted back and forth every day, sending each other memes and rundowns of their days, but it wasn’t the same as seeing each other in person. Still, Will made the most of this time home; he saw his hometown friends, he went to the Trail of Lights and to the Christmas Market, while Nico spent time in New Orleans with his half-sister.

Will impatiently counted down the days till he could see his favourite person again, and he _almost _forgot about his unhealthy obsession with a certain camboy, his fantasising turned almost completely to Nico. His crush was quickly turning into an unrequited, painful love.

Two days before he was due back at college, Will’s mum left for the evening to play a gig and he was left home alone with the rain _pit-pattering _on the window. Naturally he turned to masturbation as a respite from the boredom, but he refused to go on CAMCOM; he didn’t need his feelings for Nico fuelled more by a look-alike.

Will scrolled through all his usual porn-sites, but nothing caught his attention. He slid his hand into his sweatpants and lazily stroked his half-interested dick, while slumped in bed and looking at the thumbnails. A few minutes later he caught himself watching a skinny, dark-haired boy getting railed by a blond.

“Fuck,” Will wrestled his hand out of his pants and shut the page, sighing. Why could he not wank over something _other _than Nico? “Fuck it,” the boy breathed, and hurriedly pulled up a new page. He couldn’t help himself.

His heart pounded as he found _hades_’s page on CAMCOM and saw that the boy had posted _five _new videos. Will’s eyes bulged; the camboy had never posted so much at once before. Feeling excitement rise in him, the blond hurriedly clicked on the oldest one, from almost three weeks ago.

And there he was, in that same bedroom with that same black mask on his face, looking as enticing and beautiful as always. Will held his breath as he watched _hades_ lick his plump lips. There was something about the dim lighting and the slightly pixelated screen that gave Will the feeling as if _hades_ was doing this show just for him. It was so easy to pretend it was Nico.

_hades_ was wearing a fluffy black dressing gown, slightly open so his collarbones were exposed. Will ignored the bar at the side that showed that the view had had almost sixty thousand views in the past three weeks. _He isn’t putting on a show just for me, _Will thought, gritted his teeth and squeezed his dick a little harder to get back on track.

_hades_ slid his gown off a little to reveal his milky white shoulder. On his bedside stand Will could see a big, purple dildo and his mouth went dry with anticipation. _hades_ crawled up the bed, and then reached for the stand...but instead of grabbing the dildo he produced a pair of black, fluffy handcuffs.

“Shit,” Will gasped and watched hungrily as the boy cuffed one of his wrists to the headboard of his bed. The handcuffs looked so good on his pale, thin wrist and-

Will sat up so suddenly his laptop went flying to the end of the bed. His heart pounded and he looked straight ahead in shock, as everything clicked into place. The moment it did Will had to double check and he scrambled for his laptop again and stared at the video in which _hades_ was actually grabbing the dildo this time and _yes _those were the same handcuffs that Will had bought Nico.

The blond paused the video and stared, heart racing in his chest. _It’s a coincidence, it’s a coincidence, _Will told himself, but it all started to make sense; _hades_ always posted in this bedroom, and the only time he did was when Nico wasn’t at college, which would explain why he uploaded so many times now, over Christmas break.

Will stared harder. Was this lewd boy handcuffed to the bed, gripping a sex toy the same person who had blushed sweetly when Will had given him his Christmas present?

The blond slammed the laptop shut, feeling guilt pool in his stomach like acid. If it was true then he had been watching his best friend and roommate masturbate for months.

***

At first Will wasn’t going to confront Nico and just continue on as normal but in the next two days he was plagued by his findings and he knew he wouldn’t be able to look Nico in the eye unless he got answers. When he came back to college in the morning three days later he couldn’t bear to look at Nico’s bed.

That evening the boy texted him that he was home, and Will could hear him as he lugged his suitcase down the corridor. The blond was waiting, standing up, with his laptop on their shared desk behind him with _hades_ page on CAMCOM pulled up. In hindsight perhaps it wasn’t the best way to greet his roommate after a three week break but Will couldn’t think of anything else to do; he felt sick to his stomach and he was terrified Nico would think he was a creep, but he had to know right away and if he didn’t attack Nico with this information now then he’d chicken out and harbour this secret inside until it killed him.

“Son of a bitch,” Will heard Nico swear outside of the door as he fought with the handle. Will felt lightheaded and doubts entered his mind. What if it wasn’t Nico, and he’d think it was weird that Will was showing him this? What about if it _was _Nico after all, what then...?

Will didn’t have any more time to think because just then the door to their room opened and Nico waddled in, a huge backpack on his back, hauling a suitcase.

“Will!” the boy’s face lit up as he dropped his bags to the floor. Will just stared at him feeling like he had just gotten an electric shock; it was all the same, the mouth, the hands, the slender neck, the fluffy hair. It had always been the same but Will had refused to admit it because watching _hades_ was his guilty pleasure and by admitting it was Nico, he’d admit to being a pervert.

“What’s with you?” Nico asked, a little confused when Will only stared at him, “Why are you looking at me like that...,” he trailed off slowly as his eyes drifted to the laptop behind Will.

The blond watched a multitude of emotions dance across Nico’s face; confusion, shock, fear, shame. His face went paler than normal and that was all the confirmation Will needed.

Nico went bright red and shoved his way past Will, slamming the laptop shut, “W-Where did you find that?!” he stammered, voice an octave higher than normal.

“Oh,” Will felt a rush go through him. _Holy shit, holy shit. _He turned around to face his roommate, “So it _is _you. I wasn’t sure, but you’re reaction...,” he trailed off because he saw tears well up in Nico’s eyes.

Before he could say anything, Nico made for the door. Will’s eyes widened and he panicked; _no, no_, he couldn’t let it go like this. He threw himself after the boy just as Nico began opening the door. Will slammed it shut again, crowding Nico in against the door.

“L-Let me out,” Nico was holding back tears, the tip of his nose as red as the cheeks.

“Hey, wait,” Will was freaking out too, “It’s okay, can we talk about it?”

Nico shook his head and buried his face in his hands, taking shaky breaths, “I’m so embarrassed,” he whispered, trembling.

“Why?” Will asked, puzzled, “You’re so gorgeous in those videos,” he only realised what he said when Nico looked up at him in shock.

“W-What?” he stared at Will wide-eyed.

Will blushed, and took half a step back because he realised how close he was to the other boy, “I-I mean you’re gorgeous all the other times too, I just...you look really good in those videos. Like _so _good.”

Nico was silent for a moment, just staring and comprehending.

“I-I thought...,” he whispered after a moment, his face burning so bright that even his ears were red, “I-I thought you watched it f-for a joke, or saw it accidentally...”

Only then Will realised he had outed himself, “Oh...um...”

Suddenly Nico looked angry, “You watched me masturbate?!” he exclaimed, eyes stormy. At least he didn’t look like he was going to cry again.

“I-I didn’t know it was you!” Will stammered, hands up in surrender as he stepped away, “I swear, I only figured it out when you wore those handcuffs I bought you...”

“S-Shut up!” Nico spluttered, “How much did you see?!”

“Most of it?” Will offered sheepishly, “I didn’t watch after I figured it out, after that first video during Christmas break. But before that...,” he swallowed, unable to admit to how many times he had actually re-watched all the videos.

Nico’s shoulders sagged, “This isn’t happening,” he laughed humourlessly. Will looked at him helplessly.

“Why do you do it?”

Nico shrugged, glanced at Will, then sighed, clearly decided the cat was out of the bag, “At first I did it for money. Then I kind of liked it,” he looked at the ground, tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, “All those nice comments...people seemed to really like hades, and in real life I...,” he shrugged, “I don’t have that many friends. I’ve never had any boy pay attention to me. I guess it was just...nice.”

Will didn’t know what to say. A big part of him wanted to grab Nico and tell him to stop posting the videos, that Will would appreciate him more than all those other creeps online...

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. Nico looked up.

“H-Huh?”

“Right now,” Will said firmly, “You’re so gorgeous.”

“S-Shut up!” Nico squeaked, looking embarrassed.

“I’m sorry for being a creep.”

“It’s fine,” Nico was practically glowing, he was blushing so hard, “You didn’t know it was me.”

“I imagined it was you,” Will finally admitted. Nico looked shocked, and the blond closed the space between them. Nico sucked in a startled breath, but Will knew that he had to go all out. He had already burned the bridge between them and he couldn’t leave it like this, “Can I kiss you?” he asked softly, pressing Nico into the door.

“W-Will what are you going on about?” Nico looked lost, embarrassed, “I-I...we’re friends, y-you’re supposed to...I-I...”

“Nico,” Will interrupted him firmly, and Nico glanced up at him uncertainly, “Can I kiss you?” Will repeated.

“Yes,” Nico squeaked.

Blood rushed in Will’s head and he could barely think straight as he gently took Nico’s face in his hands, leaned down and kissed him. He was so nervous that he barely registered it for the first few seconds. Nico gasped against his mouth, gripped Will’s wrists. His lips were soft, a little wet. He smelled like the outdoors and his body wash.

They both eased into the kiss after a second. Nico relaxed into Will’s touch and the blond found his footing. He began to gently move his mouth against Nico’s, and was elated when the other boy reciprocated, albeit a little clumsily.

Will let go of Nico’s face and slid his hands down the boy’s sides and Nico took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Will’s shoulders, a little more confident now. Their kiss grew hungrier, more passionate, months of sexual tension that Will had thought was a one-way street finally tumbling out.

Nico massaged the nape of Will’s neck as they kissed, and the blond slid a hand beneath Nico’s jumper.

The camboy pulled away so abruptly he smacked his head against the door, “No!” he shoved Will away a little.

Will blinked, feeling like he was waking up from a dream. He remembered where they were, and looked at Nico. The boy looked frightened.

“What-“

“I-I’m a virgin,” Nico blurted.

“What?” Will frowned, “But you...your videos...”

“Y-Yeah but it’s just a-a show, and it’s j-just toys...”

Will could see that Nico was beginning to freak out.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Nico shook his head hurriedly, “No, it’s my fault, I’m s-sorry. I-I just...I don’t know how t-to be sexy in real life, a-and what to do, and i-it’s _you _and I just...,” he bit his lip and trailed off.

“You don’t have to try to be sexy,” Will whispered, “I want it to be awkward and fun and comfortable. I want to make love to you, Nico, not to hades.”

Nico glanced at him, “Can we just...cuddle...tonight? It’s just a lot,” then he blushed harder, “O-Or we don’t have to! I-I mean if you want to f-fuck w-we c-can but can I at least put the mask on because u-um...I’m just...it’s just...,” he was hyperventilating.

Will hugged him fiercely and Nico exhaled, calming down immediately. Will held him tightly and kissed the top of his head, feeling overwhelmingly protective.

“We’re going to cuddle,” he said, and Nico nodded and hugged him back, “and watch something on Netflix.” He stroked Nico’s hair gently, “and you can sleep in my bed if you want, but you don’t have to. And we won’t do anything, unless you want to. Except kiss. I want to kiss you really, really badly.”

Nico pulled away and he looked shy and blushy and adorable, and with none of the seductive confidence that _hades_ had, but that was more than okay with Will. He wanted _this _Nico, the real one.

The boy stood on his tiptoes and kissed Will.


	7. Stupid, Stupid Start (Luke x Percy)

**Drunk college Lukercy! Like top Luke, with Percy having a praise kink.  
For SuPeRslIDe**

** **

It all started in a really stupid, stupid way. 

It was Friday night and Luke’s fraternity was having a party, as per every weekend, with a lot more people than capacity showing up at the door every minute. It was coming up to midnight and Luke was quite drunk, but not drunk enough to not have things under control; he was the oldest of all the brothers and a leader of the main house where forty of them lived. Right now, however, they were in the smaller house that also belonged to the fraternity, where fifteen of the brothers lived. The oldest boy here was Percy, two years younger than Luke and one of his close friends, who happened to always get sideways drunk whenever Luke was around because he knew the blond would keep an eye out for things.

And sure enough the tall blond sipped his beer now and watched an amateur game of spin the bottle commence between first-years. Girls constantly came over and flirted drunkenly, asking him to join but he politely declined every time, his gaze flitting to Percy every few seconds.

The dark-haired twenty year old was in the corner of the kitchen-living room complex, leaning against the counter and chatting animatedly with Jason, one of their frat brothers that lived in the house, about the last soccer game. He was flushed from alcohol, his hair looked artfully messy as always, and he wore an orange fraternity t-shirt that hugged his body in the most delicious way. Luke couldn’t look away from him most of the time, and he was much more interesting to watch than eighteen year olds making out sloppily on the floor.

Thalia, Jason’s older sister who was in Luke’s year, appeared next to the blond with a cup of what looked like straight vodka in her hand, and a mischievous smile on her face.

“Making love-eyes at Percy again?”

Luke rolled his eyes, “Shut up,” he grumbled and looked away, embarrassed that the girl had caught him once again. She was the only one who knew his secret and not because he told her; she figured it out all on her own.

Thalia glanced at the sloppy makeout happening in spin-the-bottle, and made a face, “Yeesh, freshmen.”

“I know,” Luke said absentmindedly, and his eyes had once again drifted to Percy. Thalia rolled her eyes.

“You’re so _obvious.”_

Luke looked away again, gritting his teeth, “If you’ve come to annoy me then piss off.”

“Relax, sweetheart,” Thalia smirked, “I’ve actually come to tell you a juice piece of gossip I heard about your one and only.”

Luke raised an eyebrow but his interest peaked, “Since when do you partake in gossip?” he tried to remain cool. Thalia shrugged.

“Just thought you’d be interested,” she unpeeled herself from the wall, “Guess not...,” she made to walk away but Luke grabbed her by the wrist, a little clumsily since he was drunk.

“Stop being annoying,” he grumbled.

“Alright, alright,” Thalia was grinning now, happy she won. She leaned in dramatically and whispered to Luke, “According to a third year boy, Percy has a praise kink.”

That’s what started the beginning of the end, because the whole crush situation started _much _earlier, when Percy was eighteen and a fresh-faced first-year excited to study marine biology and join a fraternity. Luke, twenty at the time, was appointed as his ‘Big Brother,’ and took care of him during the first few weeks. It didn’t take long for everyone to fall in love with Percy and very quickly he didn’t need Luke’s guidance anymore, but the two stayed close friends and Luke couldn’t help but develop real feelings for the other boy.

Luke blinked, “A what now?”

“Praise kink,” Thalia explained, “It’s kinda like dirty talk but instead of calling someone a slut you tell them how pretty they are, and how good they’re doing.”

“W-What?!” Luke spluttered, eyes snapping to Percy who continued to innocently talk with Jason, “He...but...,” he tried to imagine Percy in bed and his face burned. Of course he had fantasised about fucking Percy senseless a million times, but he had never thought that with his charm and confident smirk and abs, Percy would want someone to talk sweetly to him.

Luke’s stomach tightened with arousal, and then immediately he felt anger.

“What third-year boy?” he snarled.

Thalia rolled her eyes, “Doesn’t matter. Apparently he slept with Percy last week.”

Luke grinded his teeth, “Tell him to keep his gossip to himself,” he growled protectively. Thalia smiled, a little softer, and patted Luke on the back before taking his drink away.

“Yes sir,” she said and marched off.

Luke licked his lips and looked at Percy longingly. The boy was openly bisexual and yet Luke didn’t confess his feelings, too scared to ruin their friendship and lose Percy all-together.

“Hi Luke!” a girl appeared in his vision, a second-year, smiling, “I was wondering if you’d want to come play spin the bottle.”

“Your friends already asked,” Luke snapped, irritated by the newfound information – he didn’t know what to do with it, and hearing that someone else touched Percy made him mad, “I said no.”

The girl pouted, “Alright, I was just asking,” she grumbled and scurried off. Luke didn’t even know her name. He sighed.

“Surrounded by girls as always, eh?” Percy asked, slinging an arm around Luke’s shoulders. The blond jolted and looked down to see his friend by his side, beaming at him. When had he walked over? Luke’s heart pounded and all he could think about was _he has a praise kink. _He felt light-headed all of a sudden and could barely comprehend what Percy said, the only thing running through his head was _tell him how pretty he is. _He blamed it on the alcohol.

“You look good tonight,” Luke said before he could think his plan through, staring intensely at Percy.

The boy looked away and his eyelashes fluttered slightly as if he was fighting the urge to close his eyes. His grip on Luke tightened ever so slightly and the redness in his cheeks deepened. It was minimal, and if Luke hadn’t known what he was looking for, he wouldn’t have noticed.

“Thanks.”

But it was there; confirmation. Luke’s trousers grew tight and for a moment he couldn’t breathe, and it took everything in him not to press himself against Percy and fuck him right then and there, on the carpet in front of over a hundred drunk teens.

“Come upstairs,” he said instead, slipping out of Percy’s grip before he did something stupid, “I have something to show you.”

His heart pounded as he climbed up the stairs to the third floor of the big house, past couples making out and friends arguing and teens already passed out on the ground. All the while _what are you doing? What are you doing? _went round and round in Luke’s head. Percy followed behind him obliviously, and Luke went into his room, the last door at the end of the long corridor on the third floor. He had been here a million times before.

“So,” Percy slipped in after him, “What do you-,” he flipped on the big light but Luke hurriedly switched it off and shut the door, crowding Percy in against it in the process, “Luke?” Percy blinked. In the light spilling in from outside the window Luke could just see enough of his confused expression. His heart pounded.

Luke cupped his cheek in one hand and brushed his thumb over the boy’s skin, mesmerised by Percy’s darkening blush, “L-Luke?” the boy asked, quieter now, eyes full of questions.

Luke cupped his other cheek, then gently ran his fingers through Percy’s hair. Percy looked puzzled but he didn’t push the blond away, and it was only when Luke shifted closer that he tried to back up, but there was nowhere to go.

“You’re so beautiful,” Luke breathed quietly. Percy’s eyelashes fluttered again, it was as if he was melting internally, but he quickly remembered himself and turned his face to the side.

“Luke-“

Luke forcefully turned his face around and kissed him. Percy pushed him away, “Luke!” he protested, “What the hell are you doing?!”

_Fuck. _It was too late to backtrack. Luke’s mind spun and he kissed Percy again, sloppy and wet and definitely too forceful. Percy struggled against him and turned away, trembling.

“L-Luke you’re drunk,” he sounded shaky. Luke kissed up his neck and Percy shied away from him, hands gripping Luke’s shoulders but not quite pushing him away.

“I can’t keep my hands off you,” Luke whispered, and it was true, his fingers dug into Percy’s hips, then rucked up his shirt. The dark haired boy exhaled shakily but his grip on Luke loosened.

“Luke, where’s this suddenly coming from?” Percy whispered but relaxed more into Luke’s touch as the blond showered his face in kisses.

“It’s not sudden,” Luke murmured, and kissed Percy again. This time Percy hesitantly kissed him back, still unsure. Luke pulled away and pressed their foreheads together, “I’ve wanted to be like this with you for so long.”

Percy frowned, his comprehension slower since he was drunk, “I...why now though?”

“Thalia told me you had a praise kink, and I just couldn’t stop myself.”

Percy went so red Luke noticed even in the dark, “I-I don’t!” he protested, but it was an obvious lie.

“God, you’re adorable,” Luke murmured. It wasn’t like he was _trying _to compliment Percy, the words were just coming out themselves – all the words he had held back for so many months. He kissed Percy again, harder. Percy shuddered and let out a tiny moan into the kiss, and his arms looped around Luke’s shoulders, pulling him in closer.

Only then Luke realised what was happening; Percy was kissing him back. His heart trembled at what this meant, and he pushed Percy into the door harder and kissed him fiercely, desperately, licking his way into the boy’s mouth. And Percy just _let him._

The party raged outside and the two of them continued to make out, until Luke’s hardness got almost unbearable and his whole body throbbed with desire. It wasn’t enough, he needed all of Percy right then and there.

“I want to fuck you,” he practically growled. Percy looked ready to pass out, but he nodded.

“Yeah,” he gasped, “Yeah, fuck, please.”

Luke was a little surprised – and very pleased – at the enthusiastic reply, but his arousal and intoxication weren’t letting him fully enjoy it as he impatiently jerked Percy forward and threw him down onto his own bed.

Percy bounced a little when he landed and stared up at Luke as the blond hurriedly stripped off his shirt and jeans before climbing onto Percy. The boy’s eyes were a little glazed over, and Luke paused. _What if he doesn’t really want this? What if he’s too drunk? _He thought and his heart clenched – he would never want to hurt this beautiful boy.

Percy seemed to notice his hesitation because he sat up and clumsily pulled his own t-shirt over his head, casting it aside and grabbing Luke by the back of his neck, pulling him in for a sloppy, hungry kiss.

Luke gently nudged him back and marvelled at how the outside lights looked on Percy’s skin.

“How much have you drank?” he asked.

Percy frowned, and looked a little hurt, “I thought you wanted this,” he whispered.

“I don’t want you to regret it in the morning,” Luke murmured, and cupped Percy’s face again. The hurt melted from the boy’s eyes and he nuzzled Luke’s palm and even as the blond watched him he still couldn’t fully believe that he was getting to do this. It felt like a dream.

Percy peeked at him, way too shyly with someone who was usually so confident, “I want this,” he said, and there was no doubt in his voice, “I want _you. _I’ve always wanted you. I just thought...,” he looked down.

Luke tackled him backwards on the bed and crashed their mouths together. He couldn’t bare it when Percy looked upset.

“I want you too,” he assured the boy feverishly as he kissed him, muttering the words into his mouth, “I want you so badly, Perce, you’ve got no idea.”

“_Luke,” _Percy literally _whined, _and grinded up against the blond. Luke felt a shock of arousal go through him and he quickly tugged Percy’s jeans off, accidentally taking his underwear with it. The dark haired boy didn’t seem to mind, kicking his clothes aside and wrapping his legs around Luke’s waist like an octopus, as if he was scared the blond would leave him.

For the first time Luke saw his own desperation for Percy reflected back at him in the boy’s eyes. And something else – fear. He looked scared that Luke would leave, and the blond didn’t understand why.

“Hey,” he kissed Percy, a little gentler this time, “Hey, don’t look so worried.”

Percy looked away, “I-I just...you’re so...and I’m...”

“You’re perfect,” Luke assured him, and watched in surprise the effect those two words had on Percy; he seemed to preen, and his eyes darkened, and Luke felt the boy’s erection get harder against his thigh. He smirked, pleased, and Percy frowned.

“I don’t have a praise kink.”

“Sure,” Luke drawled, and wrapped his fingers around Percy’s hard cock. The boy gasped and closed his eyes, melting into the bed. He kissed up Percy’s neck and stroked his dick lazily, and when he got to Percy’s ear he whispered, “You’re such a good boy.”

Percy’s cock twitched in his grip and its owner gasped, and Luke snickered, “You’re a liar,” he murmured, and bit Percy’s earlobe. Whatever protest the boy was going to raise was drowned out in his moan. Luke stroked the boy’s member harder and Percy clung onto him, gasping sweetly. Luke felt like he had sobered up, except Percy was absolutely intoxicating.

The blond drank up everything he could, still unable to wrap his mind around the fact that this was really happening. He decorated Percy’s neck in a necklace of bites and kisses, and then licked his way down his chest, sucking on his perky nipples and delving his tongue into his navel. Percy trembled and whined and tangled his fingers in Luke’s hair; the confident, loud, heart-of-the-party guy had dissolved into something akin a puppy, looking at Luke pleadingly.

The blond teasingly stopped right before his lips touched the boy’s cock, and he sat back and looked at Percy, who was panting and hard.

“C’mere,” he extended his hand and Percy uncertainly crawled towards him. Luke nudged him off the bed and the boy stood in front of him. The blond traced his fingers over Percy’s hip, and Percy shivered, “Such a pretty little slut,” Luke murmured, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to that same hip. Percy reached for him but Luke sat back, smirking, “Be a good boy and suck my dick,” he ordered confidently, wanting to see his friend’s reaction to such a demand.

Percy got on his knees absurdly fast, sending a spark of excitement up Luke’s spine. There was something about how keen Percy was to please him that made Luke want to protect him, and simultaneously fuck the living daylights out of him.

The dark haired boy nuzzled Luke’s cock through his boxers and then hurriedly freed it of its confines. Luke’s erection sprung free, long and hard, leaking precum.

The sight seemed only to excite Percy and he pounced on it, shoving it into his mouth before Luke could say anything.

“_Fuck.”_

The blond’s world spun and at once he felt drunk again. He melted against the bed and his eyes slid shut as he felt Percy’s tongue and lips against him.

His mind blanked and all he could think about was the heavenly feeling of being in Percy’s silky mouth. The boy was a sloppy blowjob-giver, but Luke didn’t mind as he hungrily licked and sucked on his dick as if it was a lollypop.

Luke remembered Percy’s kink. He gently petted the boy’s hair and Percy looked up at him through his eyelashes, mouth full of cock, and that would have been enough to make Luke fall head over heels for him if he wasn’t already stupidly in love with him.

“Just like that,” Luke murmured lovingly, “You’re doing so well.”

Percy sucked harder, and Luke gasped, fingers tightening in the boy’s hair. The party might have as well not existed anymore. Percy twirled his tongue with expertise and Luke tried not to think about all the other dicks he had to have sucked to get this good.

“God, _Percy,” _Luke groaned, feeling little sparks of pleasure fly through his body. He nudged the boy’s head away and pulled Percy up. The boy seemed a little disoriented but Luke was bigger than him so he easily manoeuvred the boy back onto the bed, flipping him onto his stomach and kissing across his shoulders, “That was so good,” he whispered, “Thank you.”

Percy peeked at him over his shoulder and arched his back so his ass was snuggly against Luke’s wet erection, “Can you fuck me now?” he asked innocently, as if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing.

Luke spat in his hand and unceremoniously shoved two fingers into Percy. The dark haired boy cried out in surprise and Luke remembered about the party and that anyone could walk in, and sneaked a hand underneath Percy, pressing it against his mouth.

“Shhhh,” Luke whispered, but didn’t withdraw his hand, instead shoving his fingers deeper into Percy. The boy’s back arched and he moaned against Luke’s palm, “That’s it, good boy. Relax, baby, just relax,” he rained kisses onto Percy’s shoulders and back and could hear him whining over the muffled sound of the music outside.

The blond thrust his digits into Percy, who grinded back against his hand wantonly, taking everything Luke gave him. Finally, when Luke couldn’t bear the tension anymore, he withdrew both his hands.

“Have you got lube?” he asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Percy replied breathlessly and pulled a bottle out from under his pillow. Luke raised an eyebrow and Percy smiled sheepishly. Luke leaned over him and kissed him, opening the bottle and pouring some onto his hand before slicking up his cock.

“Fucking slut,” he growled into Percy’s ear, “From now on I’m the only one who gets to do this.”

Percy whimpered and nodded vigorously, “Y-Yes, fuck.”

Luke wrapped an arm around his middle and pulled him back a little, lining up his cock with the boy’s puckered hole. And then he just shoved it in.

Percy flinched and gasped, hands curling into the sheets below him, “F-Fuck, Luke, I-I-“

“Fuck, you feel amazing.”

Luke was lost in bliss, completely enveloped by Percy’s heat and tightness and _God, _it was perfect, it was better than he could have imagined. He stayed put for only a few seconds before he was thrusting into Percy, unable to help himself.

“_Ah!” _Percy cried out every time Luke pierced him, “F-Fuck..._nghhh..._L-Luke...”

“Shhh, someone will hear,” Luke gritted out as he continued to fuck Percy, getting faster and rougher with each thrust. They were both panting and Percy clawed at the covers, gasping into the pillows.

“_Luke!” _he whined when the blond changed angles and Luke knew he found his sweet spot, so he thrust into the same place again, except harder, and Percy chocked on a sob, “W-Wait...a-ah...”

“You’re doing so good,” Luke whispered feverishly, curling his hand over Percy’s and plastering himself against the boy’s back, “You’re so perfect. I love you. Fuck.” He pounded into Percy and the boy’s moans were borderline sobs and he was shaking and Luke was a little scared he was going too hard but he couldn’t stop himself, “Does it feel good, Perce?”

“Y-Yes,” the boy gasped, squeezing Luke’s hand, “F-Fuck it’s s-so good, d-don’t stop. P-Please don’t ever stop.”

“_Fuck,” _Luke flipped Percy over roughly so they were facing each other, and before the boy could say anything he slammed back into him. Now Luke could see Percy’s face, his lustful, unfocused gaze, his swollen lips open in an ‘o’ of moans.

Percy curled his legs around Luke’s waist and the blond could feel his orgasm approaching faster than he would have liked. He kissed Percy sloppily and the boy clung onto him. Luke slid a hand between them and his fingers curled around the other boy’s erection once more.

“L-Luke...,” Percy whimpered, “P-Please, I can’t, I-I’m going to...”

“God, Percy,” Luke pinned one of the boy’s wrists down and stroked him roughly in time with his thrusts, knowing he was seconds from orgasm and feeling like he was going to pass out, “You’re so beautiful, all mine, so perfect.”

Percy came with no warning, arching his back and curling his toes and crying out Luke’s name as he splattered his stomach with ropes of white. His hole clenched around Luke and the blond tumbled over the edge only seconds later, trembling as he gripped Percy’s wrist and emptied himself inside the boy.

They laid there, tangled up and panting, and slowly the sound of the party filtered back in – laughter and music and shouting. Reality settled in. Luke pulled away and found Percy staring up at him with glazed over eyes.

“Perce?” Luke cupped his cheek carefully, “You okay?”

Percy smiled then, soft and beautiful, and nodded, “Yeah. More than okay,” he whispered sleepily and tugged Luke down for a slow, loving kiss, “You came inside me.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“I don’t mind,” Percy bit his lip, “You said you loved me.”

Luke kissed him quickly, heart trembling. Everything was happening so fast. But Percy seemed to understand because when the kiss ended the only thing he said was;

“I think I have a praise kink.”


	8. Hormonal (Frank x Leo)

**Omega!Leo/Alpha!Frank. Since dying, Leo's body has continued to forsake him. He's had trouble predicting his heats, hasn't really developed 'omega curves', and hasn't really unlocked a whole lot of instincts. Cue a whole lot of fluffy, sweet nesting by Leo, just out of the blue. He prepares lunches for Frank, rearranges their home...puts away his tools! It's weird. Eventually, they figure out Leo's pregnant, which leads to more fluffy scenes between the couple.  
For madlib_loon**

** **

After dying Leo had returned to Camp disheartened; his quest to get Calypso off of Ogygia didn’t turn out the way he wanted. Leo had always been a bit of a late bloomer with regards to everything, and didn’t present as a second sex at fourteen like most of the other Campers. It definitely helped during the Quest; where Percy, Jason, Frank and later Reyna, the Alphas, had to be kept at bay by Annabeth and Piper, the Betas, and at night kept away from Hazel and Nico, who were Omegas, Leo was free to do as he pleased because he hadn’t presented yet.

However when he came back from the dead, he knew things had changed, though it wasn’t until he landed on Ogygia again that he found out why. Calypso had ran to the beach to meet him, but her smile had gradually faded as she saw him, her nose wrinkling.

“What?” Leo asked, grinning and spreading his arms even though there was a weird feeling in his stomach, “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“You’re an Omega,” Calypso had replied, shocked, “and someone’s claimed you already.”

She, too, was an Omega, but it was known that same second-sex relationships did not work out among anyone but Betas. Omegas _had _to be with an Alpha or a Beta or they would simply be unhappy.

Leo thought this rejection would hurt more, but he fulfilled his promise and busted Cali out of the island, and he didn’t bear no hard feelings. In fact, his attraction to her was largely gone.

The claiming thing was a little more complicated. As the duo made their way back to Long Island, Cali explained she could smell someone’s mark on him, but Leo had barely spoken to anyone but her since resurrection, and had no idea who had claimed him so quickly, who _knew _already that he was an Omega?

It made no sense until he showed up at Camp Jupiter again, strolling past Terminus’ statue. Word had already come from Camp Half-Blood that Leo had shown up again and many campers were gathered, eagerly awaiting his appearance or simply curious to see if the rumours were true.

At the head of the crowd were Hazel, Frank, Jason and Piper, who waited impatiently to see their friend again.

When Leo passed through the barriers, heart thrumming in his chest, he saw their eyes widen and was flooded by love for them. Oh, how he had missed his friends.

“Hi, guys-“ he had time to get out, before suddenly he was being enveloped in huge arms that picked him up from the ground and crushed him against an equally massive chest. Leo gasped, and his nostrils filled with the most delightful smell, and before he could stop himself he was nuzzling into the warmth, gripping onto the boy, overwhelmed by sudden love.

“Frank,” he whispered.

Frank put him down, eyebrows furrowed and eyes dark and full of emotion. He gripped Leo’s face in his hands, couldn’t stop looking at him as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered. The Camp, Terminus, all the on-lookers...they all faded away.

“You’re back,” Frank whispered brokenly, pressing his forehead against Leo’s. The Latino had always known Frank was an Alpha, but for the first time he _felt _it, and his body trembled at their proximity. But it was different, it was special, “You’re actually back,” Frank stroked his cheeks with surprising tenderness for someone so big and clumsy. Neither of them questioned their sudden closeness, there was no awkwardness or snide remarks, they were touching each other and staring into each other’s eyes and it all made so much _sense._

“Of course I’m back,” Leo managed.

Frank kissed him there, in front of anyone. Leo wasn’t shocked – he melted into the touch as the crowd gasped, and decided in that moment he never wanted Frank to let him go. His inner Omega, whom Leo still wasn’t used to, whimpered in need. In that moment he wanted to be with Frank, and only Frank.

It was then that Leo realised that somehow Frank had claimed him the moment he presented, no matter the miles between them.

***

Frank thought it would all be down-hill from there, that they had the hardest shit behind them. He and Hazel separated immediately after Leo’s return and Hazel wasn’t bitter, understanding that Frank and Leo were mates.

Peace once again settled onto the Demigod world and Leo partially moved to Camp Jupiter where Frank, as the praetor, had his own cabin. It was better for some of the _activities _they liked to do now that they were back together, which were otherwise restricted in the forever-crowded Hephaestus cabin. They were finally happy. A month into their new relationship, Frank bit Leo, properly claiming him as his mate.

But over a year and a half later things weren’t going smoothly. Leo wasn’t a normal Omega, and clearly his death had fucked some things up. His heats came irregularly; sometimes there’d be months without one appearing, and sometimes he’d get one every other week for half a year. It was unpredictable and dangerous, especially because they were usually crazy-intense and hit out of nowhere. The usual ‘curves’ that came with being an Omega, the ones that helped accommodate child-bearing, never appeared on Leo and he remained as scrawny as ever. Neither of them said it, but both thought about the possibility that Leo could be infertile.

It pained Frank – he wanted nothing more than to have a family with Leo, but what hurt even more was watching as his beautiful, perfect soulmate hated himself each passing day.

He’d stand in front of the mirror in their cabin in Camp Jupiter with all of his clothes off and while Frank’s eyes lazily took in his amazing ass and the dimples at the bottom of his back, Leo would glare at his reflection and ran his fingers over his protruding hip-bones and non-existent hips.

No matter how many times Frank told him how gorgeous and perfect he was, Leo didn’t believe him.

“I’m useless,” he’d cry when the worst of his heat was over and he was exhausted and emotional, curled up in Frank’s huge, protective arms, “Why can’t my body just work _right? _I’m the worst omega, I don’t deserve you.”

Frank didn’t see it that way; sure, he wanted kids, but he was more than happy just being a little team with Leo, just all by themselves. It killed him to see his omega unhappy, and his inner alpha was always angry and growly, uneasy and unable to properly make his omega happy.

And then, shortly after Leo turned twenty, everything changed.

*** 

Frank came home tired and sweaty after teaching some newcomers to his cohort the initial ropes. He walked into his cabin, and froze in the doorway.

Leo was home, the Alpha could smell him, but he smelled...different. There was none of that sticky sweetness that came with the scent of his heat, but rather this smell was intertwined with something that brought on the idea of wood burning in a fireplace, warm and comforting.

“Leo?” Frank called tentatively, shrugging off his shoes in the tiny entryway, before turning left to where their bedroom-kitchen was located.

The second thing he noticed was how clean everything was; the sheets on the bed were changed and the corner was folded back invitingly. The carpet was hovered, the curtains pulled back, letting in the last rays of sunset. All of the clothes that had been strewn across the floor that morning had been put away, and candles were set about the furniture.

Leo was standing by the stove in the gentle candle-light, heating up the soup from yesterday. Frank paused when he saw him and gently closed the door, a soft smile on his lips – Leo was wearing one of Frank’s sweaters which was much too big on him and fell to his thighs. The Omega had to roll up the sleeves and they bunches around his skinny arms now. He wore nothing else. His curls were a little damp from the shower. He smelled like home.

When Leo heard Frank, or rather smelled him, he turned abruptly from the stove, and in seconds he was across the room and jumping into Frank’s arms.

“Hey!” Frank laughed, taken aback by the sudden display of affection. He hoisted Leo up and the Omega wrapped his legs around Frank’s waist, “Hey, baby,” Frank murmured, softer now, and easily held Leo up. The Omega smushed their mouth together and Frank laughed into the kiss, “Aw, someone’s missed me.”

“Yeah,” Leo mumbled instead of a snarky reply, making Frank blink in surprise. He wrapped his arms around Frank’s neck and squeezed him into a hug tightly, “I’ve missed you. I’ve really missed you.”

Frank walked them into the kitchen part of the room and gently set Leo down on the counter. The Omega didn’t let go.

“I need to turn the soup off,” Frank kissed his head. Leo loosened his grip and the Alpha did just that, before settling before Leo’s legs.

The Omega looked pouty, brows furrowed. He reached out and touched the sweaty shirt on Frank’s chest, “You smell nice,” he whispered.

Frank touched his forehead with his huge hand and Leo’s eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into the touch. He felt warmer than normal, but as the son of Hephaestus that wasn’t unusual.

“Are you okay?” Frank asked gently, peering at his mate’s face, “Is your heat coming up?”

Leo shrugged, “Dunno. I feel a bit...off.”

“You smell a bit off,” Frank admitted, and Leo flinched, “No, no, baby,” the Alpha backtracked quickly, taking Leo’s face in his hands and shifting closer. He kissed his mate, “No, you still smell good, you smell so good,” Frank nuzzled his neck, kissed the scar of where he had first bit Frank, “you just smell a little different.”

“Yeah,” Leo mumbled. He was never this quiet. Frank kissed his forehead and the second he got close Leo took the opportunity to cling onto him again. Frank laughed.

“You’re like a puppy,” he said, and happily carried his mate back to their bed. He plopped Leo down onto the pillows and started to kiss him, but then remembered how sweaty he was and pulled away, “I’ll go shower first,” he murmured.

“No!” Leo said with sudden passion and wrapped himself around Frank. He clung onto Frank with his arms and legs like an octopus, nuzzling his shoulder. Frank smiled fondly.

“You wanna cuddle?”

Leo nodded mutely. He was never this docile or submissive, always scratching Frank during sex, and being annoying, and making demands. But now he was soft and sweet and quiet, and Frank didn’t know if he should be worried. His inner-Alpha told him not to, that this was normal, and that his mate needed him.

The boy flopped to the side, dragging Leo into his chest.

“I’m pretty gross,” he said.

“I don’t care,” Leo seemed a little irritated and hugged Frank tighter. Frank sighed. He didn’t know why Leo was being needy but he suspected his heat would probably hit soon.

“Alright,” Frank murmured, and pulled the covers over them. Leo snuggled into his side, and didn’t let go of him all night, and the candles burned softly and the room smelled like Christmas.

***

Frank woke up to the heavenly smell of bacon and eggs. He smiled into the pillow, thinking he was dreaming, and reached for Leo. The bed was empty.

_Mate, _his inner-Alpha growled and Frank sat up abruptly, heart pounding.

Leo was by the kitchenette again, and turned to smile at Frank over his shoulder. His eyes were sleepy and his hair was mused.

“Morning,” he said cheerfully.

“Morning,” Frank relaxed and climbed out of bed in his boxers. He yawned and stretched and then plastered himself to Leo’s back, “You’re making breakfast?” he asked in surprise, peering over the boy’s head.

“Yeah. Thought it’d be nice to eat just the two of us.”

Frank frowned, his sleepy brain working more slowly, “But you never make breakfast, You _hate _cooking.”

“No, I don’t,” Leo said, a little defensively, and flipped the eggs, “Now shut up and sit down.”

Frank rolled his eyes with a smile and turned to their little table. His eyes widened when he saw that that Leo had already set the table – there were fresh buns in a wooden bowl that they never used, and two glasses of juice, and polished knives and forks, and a freaking _flower _in a glass vase.

“Where did you get the buns from?” Frank asked, and touched one. It was still warm.

Leo shrugged, “The bakery,” he appeared next to Frank with the frying pan and slid the food onto the plates, “Sit, you have training, don’t you?”

Frank chuckled and watched Leo put the pan in the dish-washer, “Have you been kidnapped by aliens?” he pulled his mate into his arms when Leo walked past and nuzzled his neck, “What happened to my clumsy, chaotic boyfriend?”

Leo nuzzled into him, “Ew, morning breath,” was all he said, but he kissed Frank anyway. Then he gently ran his hand down Frank’s naked chest. The Alpha caught his hand and kissed it tenderly.

“Thank you.”

Leo shrugged a little embarrassed, and looked at the floor, “I want to be a good Omega for you.”

Frank frowned and squeezed his hand a little harder, “Are you starting this again? How many times do I have to tell you that you’re perfect-“

“No, no, no!” Leo said quickly, smiling up at Frank, “This isn’t that, I just...,” he bit his lip, “I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

Frank smiled and gripped his face, “You’re amazing,” he kissed his boyfriend’s forehead and instead of blushing and smacking him, Leo preened a bit. 

“Come on,” he took Frank’s hand, “The food’s getting cold.”

***

It continued for the next week; some days Leo would be fine, but a lot of the time he would be re-arranging pillows on the bed or colour coding the clothes in the wardrobe or clean, which he never did before. He constantly walked around in Frank’s clothes, which Frank honestly appreciated, but he wasn’t sure why the Omega was acting this way. His heat didn’t appear.

A week after Leo’s birthday Frank couldn’t sleep and so he sat in bed next to Leo’s curled up form and watched ‘Bates Motel’ on Netflix, glancing over every so often to see his boyfriend’s shoulders rise and fall as he slept.

Then, suddenly, Leo jerked awake and looked up at Frank blearily, before throwing his arm around the man’s waist and hugging his face into Frank’s hip.

“Hug me,” he demanded.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Frank peered down at him.

“_No.” _He grumbled, voice muffled, “Just hold me.”

“Someone’s needy,” Frank teased, but he slid down next to the boy and wrapped his arms around the boy, the way he knew Leo liked. The Latino immediately shoved his face into Frank’s chest and threw a leg over him.

Frank frowned and stroked the Omega’s soft curls gently. Something was off. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Leo mumbled.

“You smell different again,” he said. At this point Leo had gotten used to Frank mentioning the ‘smell’ of a fireplace over the week. The Omega just shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he whispered, “I just...I really need you to hold me.”

“Yeah,” Frank whispered back, curling his arms around Leo tighter, “Always. Anything you need baby. I love you.”

Again, Leo didn’t let go of him till morning.

***

Leo’s newfound neediness was nice and Frank enjoyed it immensely. Leo was still his sarcastic, confident self around others but when it was just him and his mate he got all cuddly and cute, the way he never normally did.

However, it did become a problem when he started becoming overly protective.

“Hi Praetor,” a pretty eighteen year old Omega came up to him after he finished one of his training classes one day.

“You can just call me Frank,” he told her as he put the swords away. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and Frank tried to remember her name...

“That was a really good class,” she said.

“Oh,” Frank smiled, a little bashful, “Thanks. I didn’t want to go too hard on you guys.”

“No, no,” the Omega shifted closer and smiled, “It was perfect.

“Right,” Frank said, “Thanks.”

That’s when he smelled the familiar scent – Leo. He stood up straighter and smiled because his boyfriend was at the entrance to the fighting pits, picking him up. His smile faded quickly though, because Leo looked _pissed. _

He stormed over and wedged himself between Frank and his student, “What are you doing?” he seethed at the girl.

She raised an eyebrow, “Complementing the praetor on the lesson.”

“Go compliment someone else,” Leo growled threateningly, and his hands started to smoke.

“Leo!” Frank jerked him back, “What are you doing?” he hissed at the Omega.

“She-“

“Listen,” Frank turned to the girl, who looked irritated, “I’m sorry about him. I’ll see you at the next session.”

“Right,” the girl didn’t look happy but she left the training pit. The moment she was gone, Frank turned onto Leo, furious.

“What the hell was that?!” he demanded as his mate glared at him, “She’s a fucking student, you can’t behave like this?!”

“Stop acting oblivious!” Leo poked him in the chest, and his hands were very hot, “She was oozing her pheromones all over you like some kind of...s-some...,” he was red and unable to finish her sentence, “She was flirting with you, and you just _let _her!” little sparks danced across his clenched fists.

Frank blinked, taken aback, “What pheromones? All I could smell was you.”

Leo seemed shocked. His anger seeped out of him, “R-Really?”

Frank sighed, “Gods, Leo. What’s gotten into you? You’re acting like a lunatic.”

Leo averted his gaze, “Sorry,” he mumbled, “I overreacted.”

“Since when do you get jealous?”

He shrugged and hugged himself. Once again he was wearing Frank’s t-shirt, tucked into his trousers. Frank couldn’t stay mad at him, not when his Omega was looking so pretty and apologetic.

He pulled Leo and kissed his head, “It’s sweet, but seriously. There’s nothing to be jealous about. You’re the only person I could ever want.”

Leo hugged him fiercely, “I love you,” he muttered into Frank’s chest and the Alpha beamed because it was rare to get those words out of Leo.

“I love you too.”

***

Another week of this bizarre behaviour went by mostly without a hitch, except every time after training Lauren – the Omega girl who Leo got mad at – would stay behind and flirt with Frank in some way. The Alpha started to notice it more and more and so did Leo. He started to show up every day to get Frank, and although he never fought Lauren again he’d glare at her from beside Frank until she went away.

It was getting exhausting and Frank didn’t understand Leo’s sudden over-protectiveness. Then, after two weeks, it finally got too much.

That morning Leo hadn’t cooked breakfast and sat brooding in bed as Frank got ready to teach his afternoon class.

“What’s wrong?” he kept asking but his boyfriend stayed silent, “Aren’t you supposed to be teaching forging today?”

“I cancelled it,” Leo grumbled. Frank sighed.

“Okay, mood-swings. I’m off.”

That’s when Leo shot up from bed and sprinted to the door, plastering himself to it like a ‘No Entry’ sign. Frank blinked at him in surprise.

“Err...”

“You’re not going,” Leo snapped, looking up at Frank in determination.

“What?” the Alpha laughed uneasily.

“You’re not going to that stupid class where that bitch keeps flirting with you!” Leo yelled, angry. Frank wasn’t used to him like that.

“Leo, she’s just a student, I told you. I don’t care about her and I _need _to teach this class.”

“No,” Leo’s eyes blazed and his hands started to smoke, “You’re not going. She’s going to steal you from me.”

Frank groaned, “What the fuck are you talking about?” he was getting irritated, “I’m going to be late,” he tried to push Leo to the side but the Latino shoved him back. Frank glared, “Seriously? You’re acting like a child.”

“I don’t care, you’re not going.”

“You can’t stop me,” Frank snapped, “You know this is abusive, right? Trying to control me. It’s not my fault that girl likes me and I’ve given you no reason to not trust me. So why are you acting like a psychopath?”

Leo blinked, as if only just realising what he was doing. He took a half-step from the door and looked around the entryway, into the perfectly clean room. Tears suddenly sprung to his eyes and his expression crumbled.

“Fuck,” he whispered brokenly, and shook his head as if his thoughts were too much, “F-Fuck, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening,” he whispered, and he sounded scared. A tear slid down his cheek and Leo quickly wiped it away, “M-My instincts a-are always screwed up, I’m not _normal, _I-I can’t t-tell what’s happening-“ he took a sob-like breath, “M-My inner-O-Omega is f-freaking out a-and I just...”

Frank sighed and rubbed his eyes. He felt helpless, but he was also angry, “You know what, seeing your friends might be good.”

“W-What?”

Frank looked away, “Y’know. You haven’t been at Camp Half-Blood for a while. Maybe talking with Perce and Annabeth and Pipes would be good for you. Seeing your siblings.”

“A-Are you serious right now?” Leo asked, shocked.

“Just...I don’t know.”

Leo clenched his hands into fists and turned away from Frank.

“Leo,” the Alpha said, reaching for him. Leo stepped away, back to his mate.

“No, you’re right. I’m going crazy. I’ll go to Half-Blood. Maybe Chiron will know why I’m so fucked up, or Rachel.”

“You’re not fucked up,” Frank whispered.

“Whatever,” Leo walked into the bedroom and headed for the closet.

***

Three days passed and Frank felt helplessly lonely without Leo. They hadn’t been apart since the boy returned from the dead and not having him by his side made Frank’s heart hurt. His inner-Alpha was mad at him for what he had said but every time he tried to Iris-message Leo, the connection wouldn’t go through. When Frank messaged Annabeth and Percy their responses were short and didn’t provide any answers.

On the afternoon of the third day Frank cancelled his classes and wallowed in bed, watching mindless TV. The cabin had gotten grimy with Leo gone and started to resemble what it normally looked like.

That’s when the knock on the door came.

Frank’s heart pounded in his chest and he jumped out of bed, tripping over his own feet in his eagerness to get to the front door. _He’s back, _he told himself, _my baby’s back. _

But when he wrenched the front door open he wasn’t greeted by the sight of his little fireball, but with the sight of a certain, pissed-off daughter of Hades.

“Where the hell’s Leo?” Hazel demanded, barging into Frank’s cabin.

“Uh...Camp Half-Blood?” the Alpha suggested, trying to ignore his bitter disappointment.

Hazel swept into the bedroom and looked around and when she saw no signs of her friend she turned on her ex-boyfriend, “Jason told me you sent him away.”

“Sent him away,” Frank rolled his eyes, “These aren’t medieval times and he’s not my wife who I’ve sent off to the country house.”

“He might as well be!” Hazel sighed, “What’s going on, Frankie? Leo’s been acting really weird lately, and then this fight happened-“

“It wasn’t a fight,” Frank said immediately, “He was just...stressed.”

Hazel sat down on the edge of the bed, which meant she wasn’t leaving any time soon, “Stressed how?” she prompted gently. Frank sat down in one of the table chairs, slumping. He sighed.

“I just...I don’t know,” he rubbed his eyes, “He’s been...super domestic lately. Super clingy and needy and soft. He even cried during sex.”

Hazel blushed, “Too much info!” she squeaked.

Frank continued, pouring out everything that had been on his heart for two weeks, “He cleans all the time, picks up after himself. He makes me breakfasts and wears my clothes. He’s started getting jealous about everything, and particularly about this one girl in one of my classes, he hates her. He tried to stop me from leaving three days ago because he didn’t want me to see her,” he shook his head, “It’s not his heat or anything. I don’t know what’s happening.”

Hazel looked at him for a moment, then smiled, “Soooo...,” she drawled, “What you’re telling me is that he’s cleaning the house, putting his tools away, cooking for you, wearing your stuff and generally acting...”

“Like a housewife?” Frank exclaimed, exasperated, “_Yes.”_

Hazel’s smile softened and her eyes lit up, “Frank. I think he’s nesting.”

“What?” Frank frowned, “Nesting, but that wouldn’t make sense unless...,” he trailed off as realisation dawned on him.

They didn’t use condoms, Frank often came inside. But both of them had just kind of made their peace that with Leo’s irregular heats and messed up senses he was probably infertile. And now...

Emotion flooded Frank. Anxiety, fear, panic. But, above all, joy. He felt so happy he couldn’t breathe. Tears sprung to his eyes and the biggest smile bloomed on his face and Hazel grinned.

“He’s pregnant,” he whispered breathlessly.

“He might be,” Hazel agreed, “But don’t get your hopes up-“

“I have to go get him!”

***

A frantic Iris-message to a Nico di Angelo and a shadowtravel later, Frank found himself in the sunny porch of the Big House, holding onto Nico’s elbow.

“This better be good, Zhang,” Nico grumbled, “and it best have something to do with you fixing the fact that Leo’s been crying his heart out for three days.”

Frank’s heart clenched, “It does, I promise. Where is he?”

“Hephaestus Cabin.”

“Right,” Frank said, and opened the door to the Big House.

“Uh...that’s not his cabin...,” Nico pointed out.

“I know,” Frank said, “I need to get Rachel.”

The redhead was sitting on the floor of the attic when Frank barged in, “Sorry!” he exclaimed, “I really need you!”

She smiled and stopped painting weird symbols on the floorboards, “I know. I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“I-I just...,” Frank swallowed and his palms sweated. Now that he was here it all felt so real and overwhelming, “I wanted to know if Leo...i-if he’s...”

Rachel smiled, “He is.”

“O-Oh,” Frank squeaked, feeling like he’d faint.

“He doesn’t know yet though,” the Oracle returned to painting her symbols, “it’s best you tell him.”

Frank sprinted to the Hephaestus Cabin faster than he had ever sprinted before, and Nico ran after him. Shane was lounging on the front porch, tinkering with a little mechanical device. He stood up the moment he saw Frank, face clouding.

“Hold up!” he barked, and Frank stopped in front of the cabin, panting for breath, “I hope you’re here for a beating!”

“I need to see Leo,” Frank gushed, “It’s important.”

Shane snorted, “You’ve hurt my brother enough!” he yelled, “Why don’t you fuck off back to that purple camp full of pricks-“

“Shane,” Leo’s voice floated from the doorway, “It’s fine.”

Frank’s heart skipped a beat when he saw his mate. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. His hair was all tangled and he wore one of Frank’s t-shirts, stained with salsa. He looked like he hadn’t showered since he left Camp Jupiter.

“Leo,” Frank breathed, “I...I’m...,” he couldn’t get the words out, all he could do was stare and think about how stupidly beautiful his mate was, and how much he loved him. His eyes drifted to the boy’s stomach, but nothing was visible yet.

“Have you changed your mind?” Leo asked anxiously as Shane and his other siblings hovered in the doorway, glaring, “I know I acted like a jealous idiot-“

“Don’t apologise, Leo!” Nyssa called.

“Shush,” the boy tucked a curl behind his ear. He was timid and apologetic like never before. His fire seemed extinguished, “I...um...I wanted to apologise again. Being without you sucks and I...,” he laughed miserably, “I-I’m going to do better, I’m going to stop being so weird-“

“Leo,” Frank took a step towards the porch. Nico hovered near-by awkwardly, ready to break up any fight that ensued, “You’re not weird. You’re acting perfectly normal.”

“No, I’m not,” Leo’s eyes filled with frustrated tears, “I’m freaking out. I’m all over the place.”

“Leo,” Frank said gently, “That’s because you’re pregnant.”

The Hephaestus kids gasped and Leo’s eyes widened, “W-What?” he mumbled, and pressed a hand over his flat stomach, “B-But...but that doesn’t make sense. I’m not...my body’s fucked up, I-“

“It’s not,” Frank said, a little harshly, “I went to Rachel, she confirmed it. The way you’ve been acting...that’s normal for an Omega. It’s called nesting.”

Leo’s hand curled into a fist at his stomach, “I-I’m...I’m pregnant?” He didn’t understand.

“Yeah,” Frank grinned, couldn’t stop himself, “We’re going to have a baby.”

Leo burst into tears and for a split second Frank was terrified that he didn’t want this, but then his precious little Omega was throwing himself into Frank’s arms and clinging onto him.

“Oh my Gods, oh my Gods, Oh my Gods_ohmyGods,” _he blabbered, “W-We’re having a baby. O-Oh Gods, I’m freaking out, fuck. Fuck.”

Frank laughed and squeezed him tight, “Yeah, I know.”

They pulled apart because Leo couldn’t breathe and that’s when Nyssa came down the steps, fuming.

“You got my brother pregnant?!” she shouted.

Nico appeared beside them, “Congratulations to the happy couple!” he told the stunned Hephaestus’ kids, grabbed Frank’s shoulder and shadow-travelled them out of there.

***

That night Leo and Frank laid back in their bed. Leo had come home and immediately became a busy-body again, cleaning and arranging everything in-between panic attacks and mental breakdowns and cries of joy. Their friends all came and congratulated them, and by the time they left it was midnight and Leo finally managed to drag an exhausted Frank into their fresh-sheet bed.

They laid on their sides next to each other in the soft light of candles and Frank couldn’t stop looking at his Omega. He stroked the boy’s arm.

“Our baby smells like a fireplace. Like Christmas.”

Leo smiled, “It’ll be born in December.”

Frank pulled him close and kissed him softly, then pressed a hand over his still-flat stomach, “I’m so happy,” he whispered. Leo bit his lip but couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Me too,” he confessed, “I’m a normal Omega.”

Frank pinched him, “Stop saying that. Even if you couldn’t have kids you’re still _normal. _You’d still be perfect.”

Leo sighed in content, “You’re the best boyfriend, Frank.”

Frank kissed his forehead, “I love you so much, you have no idea,” he whispered, stroking Leo’s stomach with his thumb. The Omega giggled.

“I think I have a decent idea.”

Frank smiled, “I’m sorry about being an asshole.

“Hey, no,” Leo poked his boyfriend, “Just because I’m pregnant and hormonal doesn’t mean I can act like a jealous dick.”

“Eh, I don’t mind so much,” Frank pulled him into a cuddle, “As long as we can name the kid Lauren if it’s a girl.”

“Frank Zhang, I’m going to kill you.”


	9. Watford (Jason x Percy)

**Jercy end of the world/Apocalypse au where the world is ending and Jason and Percy are part of the last living people. They could be mortal or demigods. You pick.  
For Echo luvs Leo**

** **

March 11th 2016 is when it all went to shit. The end of the world had come just like all those crazy people on the street had prophesised, except there were no tsunamis or a sudden ice age or crazed zombies running through the streets like an all you can eat buffet.

No, it was humanity that had ruined it, just as expected. First the electricity went down, just disappeared. Well, it didn’t _just _disappear, but with no phone lines and no TV’s the everyday human didn’t know what happened, and they never found out. Planes plunged out of the sky, trains crashed, many never heard from their loved ones again.

The people waited and waited but the power never came back on. Food went mouldy in fridges, phones ran out of battery and could never be charged again. Cars ran for some time but eventually the gas ran dry. The water stopped working. Many people died of hunger or cold or thirst. Many more died all over the world from radiation sickness as reactors in many countries gave out and leaked radioactive sewage right into ground waters.

That didn’t happen in London. In London the River Thames cleared up without Londoners dumping constant shit into it; fish returned, birds returned, and so did Percy Jackson.

Percy had gone to boarding school since he was eleven and the apocalypse had happened in his final year. Like many other terrified sixteen year olds he had travelled halfway across the country to try and get back to his parents in this dire time. When he had gotten to his dingy little flat that was on the top floor in one of the dirty old buildings in China Town, his mother was gone. No note, no nothing, nothing packed, all of her jumpers left in the closet, her cup of tea standing on the counter.

Percy waited for weeks, living off jars and whatever he could scavenge. Outside the streets were havoc, people were looting and panicking, resorting to violence. Dead bodies littered the streets and the police never showed up to clean them up.

Sally Jackson never showed up either, and so, three years after the apocalypse, Percy Jackson was still in that dingy little flat.

***

Percy’s legs swung over the edge of the window as he looked down at the trashed, littered street below. One of the boy’s hands gripped the window-frame so he didn’t slip forward as he surveyed the familiar, abandoned street for any signs of danger. No junkies, no starved crazies, good.

Percy sighed. He couldn’t postpone this any longer. He glanced over his shoulder at the shadowy, dark flat that he had lived in alone for the past three years and sighed. This was the final goodbye. Today he wasn’t just climbing out of the window and down the drain pipe to scavenge for food...no, today he was leaving for good. He had made his peace with the fact that his mother wasn’t coming back, that she was probably dead in a gutter somewhere, and now it was time for him to find his father.

“See you,” Percy smiled sadly at the flat he had grown up in, and grabbed the dusty pipe with his hands, climbing down with the agility of a spider, not afraid of the cold wind tugging at his dark hair like he had been the first few times he did this.

Percy’s mum and dad were divorced and so Percy hadn’t expected Poseidon to show up at his door, however after a year of complete mayhem in London that wiped out the majority of the population, word got around that people were taking charge.

For a year and a half now London had been split into twelve parts, so called ‘fragments,’ controlled by twelve of the most powerful men and women who had somehow thrived when everything else literally fell apart. One of those people was Percy’s dad, or so he heard. With a name like Poseidon he couldn’t imagine it would be anyone else. For months now Percy had been psyching himself up to leave his flat and find his dad but he had always found an excuse to postpone it, to wait for his mum for just a day longer.

He couldn’t wait any longer though.

The boy’s feet hit the pavement and he craned his neck up to look at his open window, high, high above him. He felt speckles of rain on his face from the steely sky overhead and fought the desire to climb back up and bury himself under the sheets that hadn’t been washed since March 2016.

But he didn’t. Instead he gritted his teeth and gripped his bag strap a little harder and turned on his heel, delving between trash-bags and old cardboard homes of those who were no longer here, and knives and needles and all the shit that people have dumped here in the past three years.

He emerged onto a grey, slightly less cluttered street. Cars were haphazardly parked every few steps, their engines having gone cold a long time ago, their windows broken and anything valuable – cables, batteries, bottles – looted. Percy passed beneath the Chinatown Arch that had once been bright and beautiful and a place where tourists took photos and was now grimy and grey and overhung with old toilet paper and other bits of crap.

This fraction of London belonged to a woman named Artemis, the youngest of all the ‘Olympians,’ as the whispers on the street had started to call them. She was in her early twenties and mobilised a big part of the community, turning them into hunters. The fraction wasn’t as impoverished as the others because Artemis taught people how to hunt for dogs and rats and how not to cringe when they had to eat someone’s pet. Percy had never personally seen her but she trained her ‘hunters’ to go around and ensure everything was in order.

Artemis, and her ‘hunters,’ had been gone for over four months now. Before the streets were somewhat clean and the levels of crime had gone down under Artemis’ rule...but then she had just disappeared, no word to anyone. Rumour had it she had been killed by one of the other Olympians who wanted her faction but Percy wasn’t sure. He had never been very involved in the Hunter’s community because he knew he’d have to leave, but he wished Artemis would return and whip everything into shape again.

Percy slipped his backpack off his shoulder and pulled out an old map of London from it, opening up. He had planned his route the best he could with the information he had – as far as he was concerned, his father had dominion over Watford, which was only a few hours walk away. Once he got there he had no idea how he’d actually find Poseidon, but that was a worry for a different time.

The boy’s eyes danced over the clumsy lines he had drawn on the map with a marker that indicated the vague borders of where the different fractions started and ended, with the names of the Olympians scrawled on them. Percy would have to walk through Central London, but Athena’s dominion began only fifteen minutes from where he was.

The boy shoved the map into the pocket of his windbreaker and began his walk, keeping an eye out for anything lurking in the shadows. The population might have plummeted but those left behind weren’t always the friendliest...

Percy weaved through familiar streets that he used to walk on to get to the tube and get to school. Now they were empty and chilly. Percy shivered and looked up at the winter sky. Maybe he should have waited with this journey till it got warmer...

The boy glanced over his shoulder and saw Chinatown Gate in the distant.

“No,” he whispered to himself and continued on firmly, glancing at street signs to make sure he was going the right way. He had once relied on his phone to tell him where to go, but those days were gone and Percy didn’t even own a phone anymore. Some people clung onto them desperately and trailed through the streets with chargers hanging from their pockets in the hopes of electricity returning one day, but Percy was a realist and he knew that would never happen.

He walked past the Leister Square tube station, where two guards were lounging around, baseball bats in their hands.

“Hello stranger!” one of them shouted cheerfully while his companion swung his bat around, “Care to take a ride on the tube?”

The pocket knife in Percy’s pocket felt a little heavier, “No thanks, it’s only a little walk.”

He hurried past the boys, knowing they wouldn’t follow him. They were the minions of Hermes, one of the Olympians who had somehow managed to gain control of the London Underground. Even though the tube didn’t run anymore, the tunnels were a shortcut through the otherwise dangerous city. Everyone wanted to be in with Hermes, to sleep in old carriages that were shielded from the wind and the rain. But it was difficult to be let down there and every station was guarded by Hermes’ ‘messengers’ who were heavily armed.

Somehow the thought of living underground for the rest of his life didn’t appeal to Percy. He was just glad those crazed boys weren’t allowed to leave their posts or he was sure they’d have picked a fight with him.

Percy wasn’t a small boy by any means, but he was also a loner and hadn’t trained to kill and fight like many of the people on the streets did after the apocalypse. He just wanted to stay out of trouble and find his dad. He just didn’t want to be alone anymore...

It began to properly rain and Percy cursed softly and pulled his hood over his head to try and shield himself from it. Stupid London weather. He hurried up his step, which was when he heard it – shouting.

Percy froze, heart hammering, and immediately pulled out his pocket-knife. The ruckus was coming from an alleyway dotted with rubbish and dying away in darkness – a clear female voice, shouting, and other muffled voices. A mugging? A murder? Worse...?

Percy had a bit of a hero complex, he always had, so even though he had promised himself he’d walk straight to Watford and not get into any trouble, he found himself jogging over to the alley and peering inside.

There were several people struggling together.

It was hard to see what was happening but it was clear that the girl in the middle with the blonde hair was trying to fight all the others off. Percy couldn’t make out the others because they all had dark hoods on, but the blond girl managed to knock one boy’s hood back and Percy saw an angry black eye, and an eye-patch.

“Fuck off you pieces of shit!” the girl shouted angrily, kicking at the boy with the eye-patch.

“Stop struggling you bitch!” he shouted back as his companions tried to stop the girl from wriggling away.

Percy sprung into action, adrenaline bursting through him like that time when he had to fight a junkie for a can of Heinz beans he had found behind an old Pizza Hut. Without thinking the boy rushed forward, blade in hand.

“Get off her!” he commanded, and when a surprise attacker turned to face him, Percy sucker punched him straight in the nose.

“What the-,” eye-patch man looked shocked...he wasn’t even a man, he was just a kid. Percy glanced around – they were all kids, and they looked peeved, as if Percy wasn’t supposed to be there.

Their surprise was enough for the blond girl to free her hand out of someone’s grip and use it to swing at a girl’s face. Blood spurted from said girl’s nose and the blondie ripped her other arm free.

“That’s it! Run!” eye-patch kid yelled and he didn’t have to repeat himself as the six or so of his companions threw themselves past Percy and barrelled out of the alleyway.

Their footsteps faded away and Percy found he was out of breath.

“Who were they?” he asked, turning on the girl, who looked quite calm as she wiped blood off her knuckles, “Why were they trying to kill you?”

“They weren’t trying to kill me,” the girl stood up straighter and dusted herself off, clearly irritated, “They were trying to kidnap me.”

Dark thoughts clouded Percy’s head, “Kidnap? Holy shit-“

“Relax,” the girl rolled her eyes, “Nemesis wanted me as leverage against my mother. She’s an Olympian.”

“Olympian?” Percy blurted, “Oh, are you Athena’s daughter?”

“That’s right,” the girl stuck out her hand, “My name’s Annabeth.”

Percy tentatively took her hand. He hasn’t touched anyone properly in months, “Uh...,” he swallowed and shook her hand, “I’m Percy. I’m actually Poseidon’s son.”

Annabeth’s eyebrows shot up, “Another Olympian’s kid. You’re a long way from your father’s fraction. What are you doing here?”

“Trying to get to him,” Percy smiled, “Who’s Nemesis?”

It began to pour in that moment, rain slamming into the abandoned buildings of London.

“Fuck,” Annabeth swore and grabbed Percy’s hand, “Come on, I’ll explain everything in a minute.”

For some reason Percy trusted her and the two of them sprinted through the wet streets that had turned into a sheet of grey. With no lampposts or car headlights it grew very dark very quickly and it was impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

“Watch it!” Annabeth yelled, “Stairs!”

Percy stumbled as the girl pulled him up said stairs. They were slippery and with his head shoved into his chest to keep the water out of his eyes, Percy couldn’t tell where they led.

“Annabeth!” he heard a male voice shout, “Where have you been?!”

And just like that, the rain stopped. Percy blinked, surprised when he was enveloped by warmth. He shoved his hood and wet hair back and saw that he was in a huge foyer with a white, building-like structure rising before him, touching a glass ceiling high, high up. Rain continued to pound on said ceiling. There were a couple of people milling around, and rushing up two white staircases running up either side of the building-like structure. It all looked terribly familiar.

“The British Museum,” Percy breathed.

“Annabeth who the hell is this?” the same male voice from moments ago asked, irritated. Percy turned and saw a boy about his age standing next to Annabeth; he was maybe an inch taller than Percy, a little bulkier, and a lot more annoyed. His hair was blond like Annabeth’s but they didn’t look related – the guy’s eyes were blue and stormy and he had a little scar on his lip.

“Hello,” Percy waved awkwardly, “I’m Percy. I’m err...”

“What fraction are you from?” the blond demanded, stepping closer to Percy threateningly.

“Relax, Jason,” Annabeth rolled her eyes and nudged the boy back, “He’s Poseidon’s kid and he saved me from the Nemesis scum.”

Jason blinked, looked surprised for a second, then annoyed again, “Who?”

“Ethan and his siblings,” Annabeth waved him off then glanced at Percy, who looked confused, “A bunch of people have been popping up lately who want to become Olympians. They have followers, and Nemesis is one of them. She’s tried to kidnap me before to try and force my mother into an alliance with her but, well...,” Annabeth shrugged, “I’m still here.”

“You’re welcome for that,” Percy grinned.

“Enough chit-chat,” Jason said, “you can’t be here,” he glared at Percy.

“Shut up, Jason,” Annabeth groaned, “He’s _my _guest. It’s pouring outside. Come, I’m sure my mother will want to meet you.”

She began walking towards the white building up ahead and Percy trailed behind her, with Jason angrily bringing up the rear. Percy had a bizarre thought that if the world hadn’t gone to shit the three of them would probably just be three teenagers, passing each other on the street...

Annabeth led Percy through a maze of corridors and window-less rooms lit with dim candles. Where there once had been glass cases full of mummies and old Celtic coins and goblets, were now desks littered with maps and papers, half-empty coffee cups and crudely made beds on the floor.

“Where is all the stuff that used to be here?” Percy asked.

“Hidden,” Jason replied snobbishly, “it’s history, after all, we can’t just leave it lying around. What if someone steals it?”

He said the last part very pointedly and Percy knew he was implying Percy might steal.

“Look,” Percy glanced over his shoulder at the blond. _Handsome, _he thought briefly and his heart clenched. It had been a long while since he was with people his age, “I don’t know what bit _you _in the ass, but I’m not stealing your mummies.”

Annabeth snorted and Jason looked more pissed off so Percy hurried his step.

The exhibition rooms soon gave way to bleached corridors and Annabeth led the boys up another set of stairs before stopping in front of an ordinary looking door. She knocked.

“Come in!” came a female voice.

The room was what was probably a little library or an archive before, with big windows looking out onto grey, rainy London. A fire had been lit in the fireplace, so the room was warm and filled with a golden light that illuminated the bookshelves that took up most of the wall space.

Behind a desk sat a middle-aged woman who was undoubtedly Annabeth’s mother. She looked up from a letter she was writing and saw her daughter in front of her.

“Annabeth!” she gushed and immediately stood, before collecting herself, “Where in God’s name have you been?”

“Went for a walk,” Annabeth replied, dragging a chair over from the corner. Jason did the same and Percy followed their lead awkwardly, “Got jumped by a bunch of Nemesis kids, but it’s fine-“

“What?!” Athena demanded, “I told you that it’s dangerous for you to be on the streets with all of these maniacs running around. Plus Zeus is getting out of hand,” she snapped. The cogs in Percy’s brain turned and he visualised his map. Zeus’ name was somewhere in the heart of London...Percy remembered suddenly; Zeus was a prominent Olympian who controlled everything in Central London south of the river, while his ex-wife got the north part, “You never know what he’ll do next!” Athena continued passionately, “Jason, I told you to make sure she didn’t-“

She stopped, only then noticing Percy. She cleared her throat, “Hello. And who may you be?” her eyes narrowed a little.

“Um...hi,” Percy gave her the same awkward wave he gave Jason, “I’m Percy, I’m trying to get to Watford.”

“Watford? Whatever for?”

“I need to find my dad...”

“Mum,” Annabeth interrupted, “you said Zeus was getting out of hand. What happened?”

Athena sighed and sat back down. She looked older suddenly, “There have been two more killings today. His junkies are multiplying like vermin.”

“Junkies?” Percy asked.

“Shut up,” Jason hissed at him as if Percy was being disrespectful. The dark haired boy had never been in the presence of an Olympian anymore but he didn’t see what the big deal was – before the apocalypse they had all been just people, so why all of a sudden was he supposed to treat the Olympians like royalty?

“It’s Zeus,” Annabeth answered Percy’s question as her mother regarded him with a mixture of interest and distrust, “Word is he’s getting people addicted to drugs and then sending them out onto the streets to create more chaos.”

“But why?” Percy frowned.

“Because,” Athena gritted her teeth, “He wants to show everyone that the fraction system isn’t working, that we’d be better off ‘united,’” she air-quoted the word with an eye roll, “Under him. That is, of course, not true. London is too big for one person to keep it under control.”

Percy frowned, “I...I’m from the Hunter’s Fraction.”

“Chinatown?” Athena raised an eyebrow, and Percy nodded.

“Artemis has gone missing, just disappeared one day. Do you think it’s Zeus’ doing?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Annabeth snorted and Athena nodded thoughtfully.

“Where was it you said you were going?”

“Watford,” Percy said, “I need to find my dad, he runs that fraction. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Athena smiled faintly, “Poseidon’s sun, huh...you do look like him. Here, why don’t I send someone with you, escort you on your way. I like Poseidon.”

“I’ll go,” Annabeth offered.

“No,” Athena said sharply, “You, young lady, are staying off those streets. I need you here. Jason will go.”

“What?!” the blond boy asked in surprise. He had been silent this whole time, just listening, but now his expression clouded, “I’m sure he’ll be fine alone.”

“Jason,” Athena gave him a look, “You know we look after people here.”

“He’s not one of us,” Jason grumbled.

“Neither were you,” Annabeth reached around Percy and punched Jason in the arm, “Stop being a pain, you know the way better. Percy’s clueless – he didn’t even know what Zeus was up to!”

“Hey!” Percy protested, but Jason seemed pleased with that.

“Fine. I guess I’ll keep him safe.”

Percy glared at him and wanted to say that he was perfectly capable of keeping himself safe, when Athena stood up again.

“Well the rain doesn’t look like it will let up anytime soon,” she said, “besides,” she glanced at the watch on her wrist, “It’s almost five in the afternoon. Why don’t you stay the night, Percy?”

“Yes, please and thankyou,” Percy said, relieved he wouldn’t have to sleep on the wet street.

“Shameless,” Jason muttered under his breath, but Annabeth seemed happy.

“I’ll get him some food, mum.”

“Alright,” Athena returned to her seat, “Don’t go running off again.”

“Yes, mum,” Annabeth said with an eye roll. The trio left Athena’s office and Annabeth grinned at Jason and Percy, “Well isn’t this going to be an adventure? Wish I was coming with.”

“I don’t,” Jason grumbled, “Have fun feeding your little pet,” he said and began walking off.

“I’m not her pet!” Percy shouted after him, and Jason flipped him off. “What’s his problem?” the dark haired boy asked when the blond disappeared around the corner. Annabeth shrugged.

“He joined us six months ago, dunno where he came from but he’s very clearly traumatised.”

“Aren’t we all?” Percy rolled his eyes. Annabeth nudged his arm playfully, and Percy felt like he had known her his whole life.

“Leave him be, he’s just very protective. I’m sure he’ll warm up to you tomorrow.”

“Considering Watford’s only a five hour walk from here I doubt that. It doesn’t seem like a long enough time to melt that ice.”

***

The next morning was chilly but sunny. A cloud of fog settled over London and found Percy and Jason standing on the iced-over front steps of the British Museum, a huge building that looked like a Greek temple.

Percy stretched, “What a beautiful day,” he said as something popped in his back, “Ouch.”

He had spent the night sleeping in one of the exhibition rooms in a spare sleeping bag, and his back was begging him to go back to his room in Chinatown and sleep on a real bed.

“You guys have everything?” Annabeth asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Think so,” Jason said, “Count me for dinner, I’ll be back tonight.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, “Yeeeeah...five hours there and five hours back? And that’s if you don’t bump into trouble,” she shook her head, “I’ll give you a couple of days before I hang up ‘missing’ posters.”

“Thanks, Annie,” Jason hugged her. The blonde girl smiled at Percy.

“Come around anytime, if you can be bothered to make the trip. And say hello to your dad from my mum.”

Percy smiled, “I will. Thanks for everything.”

Annabeth waited on the chilly steps until the two boys rounded the corner, then she went back inside the museum.

Jason and Percy walked a few steps before Percy wrestled his London map from his pocket.

“We don’t need that,” Jason barked, walking ahead and not looking at Percy, “I know London, I’ll get you to Watford without a map.”

“Uh...that’s a really long way.”

“Shut up,” Jason snapped, “I make the decisions here.”

“As if!” Percy snorted, “I never asked for you to come with me.”

He saw Jason’s big hands clench into fists at his sides and thought maybe he shouldn’t start fighting with him, but Jason didn’t say anything more, just hurried on ahead.

They walked in silence for a while, weaving through icy streets. It had been just past noon when they left the museum, and Percy didn’t expect to get to Hyde Park any later than one, and that was already pushing it. There were few landmarks on the map he had, but Hyde Park was a good indication to where he was going, a big blob of green under the jurisdiction of a woman called Demeter.

Jason walked in front of Percy and the dark-haired boy lagged behind, kicking aside empty cans and watching the sunlight reflect off of Jason’s blond hair. The boy was tall and broad, in school he was probably popular.

Percy couldn’t stop his eyes from dancing over Jason. He had been alone for three years, apart from the occasional talk with someone on the street...when was the last time he was hugged? Kissed? When was the last time he...

Percy shook his head, cheeks reddening a little. In his last year of school he had figured out that he was gay and had plenty of fun with plenty of the boys at the boarding school. Those days seemed like dreams now, so far away, unattainable. Percy had been so preoccupied with survival that he hadn’t even entertained the thought of finding someone to be close with again...he didn’t want to be alone forever though, and seeing Jason stirred something inside him. The boy was grumpy but hot, _really _hot, and Percy couldn’t help but perv on him a little. He wouldn’t try anything because he was sure Jason would break his fingers if he did, and also Percy was sure the boy was straight, and...

Percy froze and frowned.

“Is that...,” he started, but didn’t need to finish. He had been so in his own head that he hadn’t paid attention to where they were going and now he saw a familiar bridge up ahead, with the big faded letter barely visible, but still there.

CAMDEN LOCK.

“Jason!” Percy exclaimed.

“Shit,” Jason glanced around, “I thought...”

“We’re going the wrong way!” Percy groaned and pulled up his map, “We’re supposed to be going west, not east!”

“Well _excuse me!” _Jason crossed his arms over his chest, ”Everything looks the fucking same nowadays.”

“It’s fine, it’s only half an hour, we can just walk back,” Percy shoved his map back into his pocket and looked around. He had come to Camden Market a million times when he was a teenager, and loved to weave himself in between the stalls selling all kinds of weird shit, from Game of Thrones t-shirts to hand-painted shoes.

It was all gone now, a few abandoned wooden planks all that was left of it. It made Percy sighed. He walked up to the canal beside which stalls with food had once stood. The water was clean, the fish having left for the winter.

Suddenly Percy felt dejected. He hadn’t seen his dad in over three years, would Watford become a home to him?

“Hey,” Jason said, surprisingly gently, and Percy realised he had been staring at the water with a sullen expression. He looked over at the blond now, and Jason had wrapped a scarf tightly around his neck and was looking somewhere to the side, “I’m sorry. You can lead the way now. Just don’t...,” he glanced at Percy, then hurriedly looked away, “Just don’t look so sad.”

Percy laughed awkwardly, “It’s fine, I’m not bothered about being lost, I just...,” he bit his lip, “You know what, forget it, let’s just get back on track.”

Jason nodded and the two turned their backs on the bridge and began trekking back. The sun disappeared behind some clouds and it got colder. Percy hugged himself and wracked his brain for something to say to Jason so it wouldn’t be quite so awkward.

“So...uh...I’ve never been to these parts before even though I live so close,” he said, then shook his head, “I mean I _have _been here, just, y’know...not after the world ended...”

“I don’t care,” Jason said abruptly and Percy tensed. Maybe that spark of respect he felt between them a moment ago had been imagined.

“Right,” Percy said tightly, “Well, at least we haven’t encountered any of Zeus’ junkies-“

An arrow zoomed through the air and embedded itself in Percy’s shoulder faster than either boy could react. For a moment they stared at it, sticking grotesquely out of the boy’s jacket as a dark stain of blood spread around it.

Then Percy cried out and his knees crumbled. Jason’s reflexes kicked in and he caught the boy before he fell, hurriedly dragging him behind a nearby wall as Percy cursed him, the arrow jolting painfully with every move.

“What the fuck?” Jason panted, dropping Percy unceremoniously on the ground and peeking around the wall, “We’re in Camden, that’s Apollo’s territory, but they’ve never been aggressive before-“

“Fuck,” Percy whispered, touching the arrow. His hand came away trembling and red, “_fuck.”_

“Let me see that,” Jason seemed irritated as he squatted next to Percy.

“Hey!” came a yell and the blond tensed, subconsciously putting his body between the enemy and Percy. He pulled a machete-like knife from the pouch on his waist and turned to face whatever adversities were coming.

Two teenagers rounded the corner, younger than Jason and Percy. The boy had dreadlocks and the girl’s hair was an aggressive orange dipped in green.

Jason relaxed, “Who are you?” he demanded in a commanding voice, shoving his machete back in its place.

The kids smiled sheepishly, “Uh, I’m Kayla,” the girl introduced herself and then pointed at the boy next to her, “That’s Austin.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the bows looped over their shoulders, “Are you the one who shot my partner?” he demanded. A gush of warmth spread through Percy at the word _partner _and he would’ve smiled if his shoulder wasn’t on fire.

“Uh, I did,” Austin said, “Sorry about that mate, we’re new on the job and...um, well...we thought you might be those crazy junkies so...”

“How?!” Jason yelled.

“D-Dunno,” the boy replied, scratching his head, “You walk kinda funny...”

Jason groaned and turned to face Percy, “Can you walk?” he asked.

“Y-Yeah...,” Percy was pale in the face as he struggled to his feet, wincing. He bit his bottom lip to stop a whimper escaping. Jason sighed.

“We can’t go on like this, we’ll have to go back to the museum...”

“What museum?” Kayla asked, interested.

“British,” Jason snapped at her. Austin’s eyes lit up.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, “You’re Athena’s lot,” then his expression fell, “Shit, dad will have our heads for this.”

“Dad?” Jason asked, turning to look at them. Percy’s world spun.

“Uh, yeah, we’re Apollo’s kids. Well,” Kayla rolled her eyes, “Not his _real _kids. But everyone he accepts into the fraction he calls his kids.”

“How wholesome,” Percy said dryly, “any chance he wants to foster me and take care of this,” he pointed at the arrow sticking out of him.

“Riiiight, yeah,” Austin drawled, “Dad’s a bit...busy. But you can come with us! We’ll take care of you.”

“Uh, we should probably go guard the bridge,” Kayla reminded him. Austin nodded,

“We’ll get you to our brother, he’s good with medicine.”

They turned and started walking back to the bridge happily and Jason and Percy trailed behind. The furious burning had reduced to a throbbing pain, and Percy glanced at Jason.

“It’s like a fucking cult,” he whispered.

“Shut up or they’ll shoot you again,” Jason replied.

***

Kayla and Austin let the duo through the bridge, still apologising profusely and giving them instructions to go straight ahead and left until they reached the medic’s tent.

The further they delved into Camden on this side of the bridge, the more it resembled what it once was – stall popped up all over the place with members of the fraction queuing for food. Cheerful music filled the air. For a second Percy forgot the apocalypse happened.

The medic’s tent turned out to be warm, with a bonfire in the middle, resembling a shaman’s tent. The medic himself was a boy around Percy’s and Jason’s age with a mop of blond curls and adorable freckles, who fretted over two little kids that had scraped their knees.

“I told you no more running through the canal, guys,” he said in a gentle tone as he put plasters on their cuts, “What if a junkie gets you?”

“Sorry, Will,” they both replied, and ran off the moment he was done. The medic – Will – sighed, and turned to Jason and Percy. He blinked in surprise.

“Oh,” he said, then noticed the arrow jutting out of Percy, “_Oh. _Shit. How did that happen?” he didn’t question where the two had come from, just shooed Percy into a chair. Jason hovered near the entrance anxiously.

“Um...your guards shot me. By accident.”

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Will shook his head and started rummaging through mismatched cupboards that were haphazardly placed around the tent. Jason subconsciously drifted closer towards the fire and warmed his hands, “It was Kayla, wasn’t it? It’s here first day on the job...”

“Actually, it was the boy...”

“Austin,” Will shook his head with some fondness, “The boy will lose his own nose one day,” he laughed. There was something about Percy that reminded him of a ray of sunshine and he couldn’t help but relax. Will inspected the wound, “Hmmm, it’s not too deep, I’ll try to get it out cleanly, it shouldn’t hurt too much, just hold still. What did you say your name was?”

It did hurt, like a bitch, but Percy gritted his teeth and tried not to scream because he didn’t want Jason to remind him about him crying like a little girl for the rest of the trip.

Will pulled out the arrow, cleaned out the wound, put some kind of paste on it, bandaged the shoulder up and handed Percy a paracetamol, all the way chatting away cheerfully.

“All good,” he said happily, “Hopefully you don’t get an infection.”

Percy tried to move his shoulder and hissed in pain.

“Hold your horses,” Will laughed, “it’ll be a few weeks before that heals. For now, you should rest.”

“We can’t,” Percy interjected, “I need to get to Watford.”

“It’s fine,” Jason interrupted, “don’t overdo it.”

Percy raised an eyebrow, “Since when do _you _care?”

“Watford?” Will asked before Jason could answer, “Didn’t you say you were coming from the British Museum? That’s the wrong way.”

“We know,” Percy gave Jason a sly look and the blond pretended to be really interested in the fire.

“Why don’t you guys hang around for now?” Will offered, “There’s spare bunk beds in the shoe warehouse by the canal, and you could get some food.”

“Right,” Percy stood, “Thanks.”

He and Jason left the tent. The icy sun was back, warming the ground a little, and Percy couldn’t help but think how nice it was here. Somewhere nearby a group of people were singing ‘kumbaja my lord’ and when Percy thought back to his own fraction, less than an hour away, he couldn’t help but think this was much less drab. Instead of hunting rats, the children of Apollo were lining up to get metal bowls filled with oatmeal, and looked happy about it.

“What a weird place,” Percy mused.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, “Can’t wait to get back to the Museum.”

Percy’s expression darkened, “If you’re so desperate to go then just go.”

“As if. I can’t leave you now that you’re hurt.”

Percy snorted and hurried his step, “Trust me, I’ll be just fine.”

“Don’t get mad.”

“I’m not _mad.”_

Jason rolled his eyes and followed the boy, “Yeah right, you’re walking away from me.”

“Fuck off,” Percy snapped, whirling on him, “You’re not my mum.”

Exhaustion and pain were wearing down on him. Jason blinked, and looked surprised. Percy didn’t want to talk to him in that moment and stormed off.

He went back almost all the way to the border bridge, the descended the iced-over steps to the canal. His shoulder throbbed every so often, reminding him about what happened, but as Percy sat sullenly by the water he almost forgot about it.

What was he doing? He was supposed to have made it to his father yesterday, and now he was stuck here, probably for another night. He’d barely made it an hour out of Artemis’ fraction and already he acquired an enemy and a wound. Suddenly his goal seemed a long way away. Maybe it would be better if he slipped out now, continued the journey on himself...

“Here,” Jason had silently snuck up on the brooding boy and was now holding a bowl out to him. Percy flinched, and Jason grinned, “Relax, it’s just porridge, it won’t hurt you. I think.”

Percy tentatively took the bowl from him. Their fingers brushed together and the dark haired boy shivered, “Thanks,” he mumbled and rested the bowl on his knees. Lukewarm.

“Mind if I sit?” Jason asked.

“Since when did you get so polite?” Percy remarked. Jason didn’t ask again, just sat down on the ground next to Percy. He pulled a face.

“Chilly,” he said.

“Yup,” Percy said, “Are we supposed to eat with our fingers?”

“Sorry I’ll bring cutlery next time, and maybe a nice, stocked mini-fridge with it.”

Percy smiled, “That’d be nice.”

Jason smiled back, “Yeah, it would.”

They sat silently and scooped lukewarm porridge into their mouths and for the first time since he left his flat Percy thought that maybe this wasn’t all so bad.

***

Percy was more than happy to leave Camden; Apollo’s fraction was bizarre and from his cot on the crowded floor of the warehouse he could hear music being played all night. It was like kids were running the world here, and it unnerved Percy, so he happily took some extra bandages from Will the next morning, and set off with Jason.

“Alright,” this time Jason was happy to let Percy consult his map, and peered over his shoulder as they stood in the middle of an abandoned street, ensuring they were going the right way this time, “In around an hour we should get to Hyde Park; that’s our best indicator.”

“Lead the way,” Jason said.

“Oh? You’re not going to fight me for leadership?”

“Nah,” they started walking. The air was cold and crisp – Christmas briefly went through Percy’s head; he hadn’t celebrated it in years..., “I’ll leave the leading to you. I’m just here to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting, thankyou very much.”

This time the walk wasn’t awkwardly silent, but Jason and Percy teased each other as if they had been friends for years. It was lovely, too lovely. Percy had to constantly tell himself that tonight would be their last night together, if they made it to Poseidon that is...and then Jason would have to go back to the Museum. The more Percy thought about it, the sadder he got. He had met a few people in the last days, and he wasn’t used to that.

His mood brightened when he saw the Greek-like structures of the entrance to Hyde Park looming up ahead.

“We made it!” Percy exclaimed, and Jason subconsciously quickened his step, “We’re going the right way!”

“Alright settle down, it’s still five hours to Watford,” Jason rolled his eyes at Percy’s child-like glee, but couldn’t help smiling. Finally things were looking up.

The boys walked into the lush green park, frost biting at their exposed cheeks. Since the majority of humanity died out, nature had flourished here and the walls were overgrown with vines. Percy assumed it looked really pretty in the spring, but right now the park was all overgrown grass and wild-looking trees.

To make matters worse, dark, menacing clouds were beginning to froth overhead, and both boys noticed though neither mentioned it, not wanting to ruin the good mood. Percy couldn’t help but feel unsettled as they delved into the trees, and kept glancing around, feeling as if someone was watching him.

He stupidly reached for Jason’s hand and then stopped himself. He didn’t need protecting. His shoulder throbbed as if reminding him that he did.

Lazy drops of rain began to fall from the sky and Percy shivered. He yearned for his flat, even if he had no heating. It’d be nice to burrow himself under his covers and forget the world. _It’d be nice if Jason was there too, _Percy cringed inwardly at the thought and shoved his chin into his chest, blushing. _Idiot._

“We should find shelter,” Jason said suddenly, “The rain will slow us down but I don’t want to risk either of us getting sick; there’s not much medicine going around.”

“The Apollo kids seemed to have it.”

“Yeah,” Jason’s expression, “That’s Apollo. Selfish prick.” He stood up straighter, “There!” he pointed as a playground came into view, “That’s the Princess Diana memorial playground. I used to come here as a kid.”

“I came here to smoke weed,” Percy mumbled, remembering his friends huddling in the familiar pirate ship that came into view.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Percy hurried his step. Just then a clap of thunder sounded in the distant and a sheet of freezing rain came crashing to the ground, shocking the boys, “Fuck!” Percy yelled as they broke into a run.

They clambered up onto the wooden ship, and Jason helped Percy up since his arm was a little useless. Then they both climbed into the little cabin on top, slipping on the deck, and huddled from the rain.

“Fuck,” Jason groaned and wrung his shirt out, “I’m drenched.”

“Me too,” Percy shuddered, feeling miserable. The cabin was cramped, and clearly not meant for two fully grown teenage boys. Still, the rain was a dire alternative.

“Fuck this,” Jason sat down, pissed off, and shrugged off his jacket. His teeth started to clatter, “I-It’s fucking freezing.”

“I know,” Percy plopped down next to him and hugged himself before hurriedly letting go – having his wet clothes stick to his skin made him feel like he had hypothermia. Depression descended on him, “Why does it keep going so badly?” he mumbled. Jason glanced at him.

“Take off your jacket,” he said, “it’s not good to stay in wet clothes. That’s what all the movies say.”

“Pretty sure that’s just a trope to get people to get naked,” Percy interjected. Jason looked puzzled, “Anyways,” Percy added quickly, “I’m definitely not getting naked with you.”

“Who said anything about being naked?” Jason asked, confused.

Percy blushed, “N-Nothing! Nobody,” he squeaked, “Forget I said anything.”

An awkward, tense silence descended on the two. They listened to rain pounding on the roof of the cabin and watched the grey sheet of it come down outside the door.

“I’m sure they didn’t save you dinner,” Percy said after a moment.

“Huh?” Jason had been lost in thought.

“At the museum,” Percy said, “You’ve been gone for a day, and you won’t make it back tonight...”

“I could if I just left you,” Jason said. Percy tensed, and his heart twisted. The blond noticed and cracked a smile, “I’m joking you idiot. You’re hopeless without me,” he reached out and ruffled Percy’s wet hair.

Percy grabbed his arm, jerked him close, and kissed him.

He didn’t know why he did it – it was like suddenly his heart just exploded from his chest and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Thankfully, his clarity of mind returned instantly and he flinched back so hard he hit his head on the wall.

“Shit,” he gasped as Jason stared at him in shock, “_Shit. _I’m sorry, I didn’t...uh, I didn’t...i-it’s just been so long since I’ve...,” he spluttered. Jason chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, his cheeks a little red.

“It’s fine, I get it, sexual frustration and all that.”

“There aren’t many people left in the world, you know,” Percy cracked an awkward smile, relieved Jason wasn’t angry, “Still, you’re...I...it’s not like I like you or anything.”

Jason looked at him, serious, “Are you gay? I don’t mind if you are.”

Percy just shrugged, cold all of a sudden.

Jason reached for him, “How’s your shoulder?”

Percy subconsciously flinched away and Jason pretended he didn’t notice, “Fine, thanks,” Percy was shaking. Suddenly he wanted to be in Watford already; he was so embarrassed.

Jason nodded and sat back, but the tension and awkwardness remained. Percy was desperate to prevent them from drifting into silence -

“We haven’t met any of Zeus’ junkies yet.”

“Don’t jinx it,” there was a hard edge to Jason’s voice. Percy nodded.

“Right.”

Realising he spoke a bit harshly, Jason asked, “So whose domain is this? I know it’s not Athena’s but I’m not very good with the whole fraction business.”

“All of Hyde park and a whole lot of Kensington,” Percy was very glad for a topic change, “She was a kind of business woman I think, not sure.”

“Is she...y’know,” Jason shrugged, “Are her followers crazy?”

“Like Zeus?” Percy shrugged back, “Dunno. I hope not.”

“No, they’re not,” came a third voice and both the boys jumped to their feet, whacking their heads on the ceiling. Then there were hands grabbing them, and pulling them out into the rain.

“What the-!” Percy heard Jason shout but he couldn’t see him because of how hard it was raining. Water got into his eyes and he got a blurry glimpse of three hooded figures with crazed grins before he was forcefully being pulled off the ship. His shoulder exploded in a flurry of fire and he cried out.

“Percy!” he heard Jason shout, and panic overwhelmed him as he sounded quite a while away – they were separating them.

“No!” Percy tried to fight back but the pain in his shoulder was paralysing, “Let go you crazy bastards!”

The three figures laughed as they dragged him through the wet, overgrown grass. Percy was confuse and disoriented, struggling in their grips.

“Who are you?!”

“Followers of Zeus,” one hissed, too close to his face. He smelled disgusting and Percy cringed, “He’d love to get his hands on a son of Poseidon.”

“H-How do you know-“ Percy stammered, but he didn’t get to finish because one of the figures punched him in the gut. Percy doubled over, gagging, and the figures pulled him with them forcefully, his feet dragging, “No,” Percy mumbled, feeling sick, “Jason...”

He tried to kick one of the attackers, which earned him a hit to the head with something hard – a baseball bat, maybe – his ears rang and pain exploded in his temples. His world spun and dark spots danced in front of his vision. He blinked the rain from his eyes and saw trees and no sign of the park, and no Jason.

He felt like crying, but he also felt like passing out.

He didn’t know how long the maniacs dragged him along – they were laughing and talking crazily, and with his head throbbing it took Percy quite a while to figure out that they were the junkies they had been warned about. He tried to listen to their conversation, but only parts made any sense.

“...out of Hyde park...”

“Negotiations?”

“No, no...”

“...no ransom, an example...”

“We should give him some of the good stuff, he’ll love it...”

“Poseidon...”

“Watford.”

“Out...of Hyde Park...”

Wherever they were taking him, Percy knew that he was a lost cause the moment he left the Park, but he was too weak to fight. He felt nauseous and shivery and dizzy.

Tears _did _spring to his eyes when he saw the Greek-gates up ahead, floating blearily in his vision. That was it. It was over.

Then, suddenly, like in a movie where the damsel in distress gets saved at the last moment, a cry came from somewhere, and suddenly Percy was let go off. He crumpled to the ground, head spinning, and threw up in the grass. He felt like he had a fever, and was glad for the rain on his heated face.

The images he saw made no sense – the hooded figures, the gleam of knives, and new characters with pissed off expressions. Someone was holding a pitchfork. Was this a witch-hunt?

Percy passed out.

***

When he groggily came to, he was in a tent. At first he laid there, confused, his head throbbing a little, and watching the grey light slip in through the cracks. He was on some kind of low bed, piled with blankets.

The boy sat up. He could see embers of a fire in the heart of the tent; mismatched, partially destroyed furniture that looked like it belonged in a skip littered the rest of the space. There was no floor, just flattened grass.

“Where am I...?” Percy wondered out loud. Someone had changed him out of his wet clothes into black sweatpants, a sweater that looked like it could be his grandad’s, and fresh socks. His shoes were by the camping bed, dry.

Percy awkwardly pulled them on, making a lot of noise while he did it.

A girl of about twelve, with dark peach fuzz around her mouth, short black hair and glasses, stuck her head in. She looked like she was seeing a mildly interesting animal at the zoo.

“Ah,” she said, “you’re awake.”

The she disappeared again. Percy felt completely lost – had he died and ended up in some bizarre afterlife?

_Jason. _

His heart clenched and he ran to the front-flaps of the tent, panicking. _Oh God, oh God..._he had to find his companion, what if he was hurt?

Before he could step outside, however, a woman appeared in his path. She looked around Athena’s age and was dressed in a dark green waterproof jacket, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“You must be Percy,” she said with authority but gentleness, and Percy backed up.

“Who are you?!” he demanded, “Why did you kidnap me?! Where’s Jason?! How do you know my name?!”

The woman raised an amused eyebrow, “Calm down, Percy, I’m not the enemy here. I’m a friend of your father’s, and I have seen photos of you he showed me, in case you ever went through my fraction,” she smiled and spread her arms, “And here you are.”

Percy blinked, “You’re Demeter?”

“That’s right.”

Percy didn’t understand.

“You don’t understand,” Demeter guessed, “Sit.” She gestured back to the bed and Percy sat tentatively. The girl from before came in with a steaming cup, “Thankyou, Meg,” Demeter said and took it from her. She offered it to Percy, “Herbal tea, it’ll help with the cold you’re getting.”

“Right,” Percy took it from her hesitantly, “Thanks?”

Demeter sat on an old beer crate and watched him with sparkling eyes, “You look like your father.”

“Why hasn’t he come to get me?”

Demeter sighed, “He waited for you and your mother, but he had a fraction to run...”

“Right,” Percy said darkly, “and why am I here?”

“Yesterday my gardeners saved you from those crazy druggies Zeus has been letting loose on the streets.”

Percy’s eyes widened, “_Yesterday?! _Fuck, where’s Jason?!”

Demeter raised her eyebrows, “Jason? I don’t know anyone by that name but you could go by the lost and found tent and see if he’s there.”

Percy swallowed, dread in his stomach, “I need to find him.”

“You need to go to your dad,” Demeter said gently. Percy shook his head fiercely and drank the tea in three quick gulps.

“Not without him.”

Demeter sighed, “I suppose I can’t stop you,” she stood, “We’ve changed your bandages. Come, I’ll take you to the lost and found.”

Percy was greeted by early afternoon winter sunlight when he stepped out of the tent, and found himself in a kind of tent-city, where people in overalls and colourful scarves milled around. Sure enough, some of them held pitchforks and they all smiled and waved at him as he passed.

It felt like a peculiar dream, like the Apollo fraction, but weirder.

Demeter weaved gracefully between the tents, and the fires burning between many chased away the chill of English winter. Percy felt safe, and it was almost believable that the junkie attack had been just a bad nightmare.

“Here we are,” Demeter said, stopping in front of a large tent that had ‘PEACE, LOVE AND TREES’ written on the side in what looked like permanent marker, “I hope you find your friend and make it back to Poseidon; his headquarters are in the Colosseum auditorium. Give him my regards if you get there.”

_If, _not _when. _This ‘five hour’ trip was proving much harder than Percy anticipated. With a heavy heart he swept into the tent.

And there he was, on one of the camp bed’s, pale and pissed off, in someone else’s clothes. Percy couldn’t breathe.

“I’m fine,” he kept telling a girl who tried to shove a cup of herbal tea into his hands, “I have to-“

He noticed Percy in the doorway and jumped up, “Fuck!” he rushed towards the boy and enveloped him in a hug, and Percy was so happy he could have cried. It felt so good to be held, and it felt so good to know Jason was safe.

“Oh my God,” Jason gushed, pulling away, his hands dancing all over Percy’s body as if checking him for wounds, “Are you okay? What happened? How’s your shoulder?”

“I-I’m fine,” Percy smiled palely, “I thought you were...”

Jason’s shoulders slumped, “I know,” he said softly, “me too. I’m really glad your alright.”

Percy nodded, “Did the gardeners save you too?”

“Yeah, we owe them.”

Percy stepped away, “You need to go back to the Museum,” he said with a sudden determination. Jason blinked.

“Huh?”

“You could’ve gotten killed yesterday, or shot by the Apollo kids. It’s not safe, I’m putting you in dan-“

“Shut up,” Jason slapped him upside the head, “Like hell I’m letting you go by yourself you dipshit. We’re in this together now,” he smiled brightly at Percy, and Percy just wanted to kiss him, and he felt guilty for that.

“Alright,” he managed, “We’ve lost a lot of time, we should probably head.”

Demeter was gone when they stepped outside the tent, and although her gardeners waved at them as they passed, nobody tried to stop them. Percy got his backpack and pocket knife from lost and found, and he and Jason picked up some jackets and scarves, and they continued on their way as if nothing happened.

By five in the afternoon, when it was starting to get colder and darker, they had made it to Edgware. The rows of London-esque houses and looted corner shops made Percy anxious, and he felt there were eyes watching from every corner. Gradually his and Jason’s cheerful conversation had died off, and now they stuck close and walked as quickly as they could through the abandoned neighbourhood.

“Who does Edgware belong to?” Jason asked as they passed an abandoned red bus, the windows smashes in.

“Uhh...not sure,” Percy admitted, glancing around in paranoia, “I don’t think it’s my dad’s. Maybe Hades?”

“Who’s that?”

“Don’t worry.”

A high-pitched whistle came from somewhere and both the boys froze, panic kicking in,

“Not again,” Percy whispered when he saw malicious, twisted faced pop up in the windows above the shops, grinning down on him and Jason like they were prey. Clearly he had underestimated Zeus’ junkies.

“Come on!” Jason grabbed his hand and started to run, pulling Percy along.

Laugher echoed after them, and shouts, and footsteps. Adrenaline kicked in and the boys ran faster than they had before – they weaved through street-mazes, and found themselves in a kind of basketball court that they cut through hurriedly, and suddenly a building that looked like a house on steroids appeared in front of them. On a faded board outside they could read _neurogical _and _rehabilitation centre._

“It’s a hospital!” Jason exclaimed, and without thinking threw himself at the front door. To his surprise it was open, and he shoved Percy into the destroyed inside just as a group of hooded figures appeared on the basketball court, “Go, go, go,” Jason hissed at Percy and they ran down the deserted hallways that looked like something out of the _Walking Dead._

They didn’t know where they were going, but as panic set in they just wanted to put as much distance between themselves and the junkies as possible, so when they saw a staircase, they ran up it. The hospital was full of shadows as the sun set, and Jason jumped when he heard the junkies erupt into the hospital with wild laughter.

“Here!” Percy whispered feverishly, stopping suddenly and wrenching open a cupboard door with his good arm. Jason hadn’t seen it, it had graffiti sprayed all over it, but Percy somehow had and now yanked Jason into its musky, dark interior. He pulled the door shut behind them and clumsily found the lock in the dark. It clicked when he twisted it.

Their erratic, terrified breaths were the only thing they heard for seconds, then came the echoes of the junkies as they climbed up the stairs. It was already cramped but Percy subconsciously shifted closer to Jason, and flinched when he felt the boy’s hand on his hip.

Just like that Percy forgot all about the junkies, who were now directly on the other side of the door, hollering and making a ruckus but clearly too high to notice the door. All Percy could think about was how close Jason was, and how he kind of smelled like apples.

He burned up, and he knew it was because he had a fever, but it wasn’t just that. He could feel Jason in front of him, inches away and invisible because of the dark, and the world faded away. The junkies moved on down the corridor.

“Fuck,” Jason whispered, “That was close,” he squeezed Percy’s hip and the boy bit his lip as to not make a sound, glad that Jason couldn’t hear him right now, “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” he said breathlessly.

“You don’t sound okay,” Jason answered, concerned.

“Jason, I just...,” Percy tried to catch his breath, and they were so _close, _“J-Jason...,” he shivered. Fuck. It had been so long since he had been so physically close to someone. He felt himself stirring. _Fuck, not now..._he didn’t want Jason to hate him, not when he was the first somewhat friend Percy had made in three years...his hand clenched on the sleeve of Jason’s jacket and when the blond moved slightly he felt Percy’s erection against his leg. The dark haired boy squeezed his eyes shut , mortified.

“It’s fine,” Jason said gruffly, looking somewhere to the side, face red, “It’s a normal reaction.”

“I’m sorry,” Percy whispered, “Don’t get weirded out.”

“It’s fine.”

“I just haven’t really been touched in three years-“

“I said it’s _fine. _Stop talking about it, you’re making it weirder...,” Jason trailed off, “Wait, nobody’s touched you in three years?”

Percy shrugged, “Yeah...dunno...”

“What about the members of your fraction?”

“I wasn’t really..._in, _with my fraction. I was basically an outsider,” he shrugged, “besides, the Artemis fraction isn’t all buddy-buddy with each other. We all just focus on survival.”

“Right, so-“

A screech sounded outside and both the boy’s tensed. Jason subconsciously slipped closer to Percy.

“Jas-,” the dark-haired boy gasped quietly because Jason’s leg accidentally slipped between his.

“Shit,” Jason whispered, and tried to pull away, which only made his leg rub against Percy’s growing erection, “S-Sorry,” it was too dark for him to make much of the closet out.

“S-Stop moving,” Percy was aware he was breathless and kinda moany and he cringed inwardly but there was nothing he could do. Everywhere Jason touched, even by accident, sent sparks through him.

“You’re burning up,” Jason touched his forehead, and his hand was wonderfully cool, and Percy could feel his breath on his face, “I think you have a fever.”

Percy moaned.

“_Shush,” _Jason hissed, hand slipping down to cover Percy’s mouth, “Jesus Christ, they’ll hear us.”

Percy panted against his palm, and then Jason did something weird – he pulled his hand away slightly, and brushed his thumb over Percy’s bottom lip. Percy shivered, his fever and Jason making him dizzy.

“You’re really cute,” Jason blurted, and Percy’s heart jumped, “but now is not the time.”

The junkies were running rampage on the floor above them, but Percy didn’t care. He grabbed Jason by the scarf and yanked him in, and kissed him.

Jason tried to pull away, “Percy-“

“_Where are youuuuu...?” _someone sang down the hallway and Percy kissed Jason again, and this time the blond gave in. The junkie went down the hallway and smashed all the windows, singing some creepy kid’s song, and Jason and Percy just kissed – it was messy and fierce, and really hot because of Percy’s fever, and it made the boy want to melt into the floor.

Jason pressed flushed against him, giving in completely, and Percy hurriedly pulled the scarf from around his neck and unzipped his jacket. They panted into each other’s mouths.

“We have to be quiet,” Jason whispered into Percy’s ear, kissing his neck. Percy bit his lip as not to moan and carefully sat up on one of the shelves that had been looted a long time ago. The junkie from the hallway went back up to his friends upstairs – the boys could hear crashing and laughter echoing through the hospital but neither cared anymore as they hurriedly shrugged their jackets off.

Jason pushed Percy’s thighs apart and kissed him hungrily, the way Percy had subconsciously yearned for him to do. He tangled his fingers in Jason’s locks and urged him closer and every touch was sizzling and overwhelming, and he was dizzy, and all he could focus on was how badly he wanted to do it.

“We can’t,” Jason whispered suddenly, biting at Percy’s earlobe, “We have no condoms,” he panted, “Or lube.”

“No, no, no,” Percy whispered feverishly and wrapped his legs around Jason’s waist, grinding against him, “Please. _Please. _I need this.”

Thankfully, Jason didn’t argue, just pulled Percy off the shelf as quietly as he could, and twisted him around. Percy hissed in pain as his shoulder throbbed and Jason’s hand snuck up his chest and covered the boy’s mouth.

“Sorry,” he murmured lovingly into Percy’s hair, then shoved a hand into his sweatpants. Percy moaned loudly, but thankfully Jason’s hand muffled the noise. Everything erupted into pleasure when Jason’s fingers curled around Percy’s erection – it was ecstatic, and completely devastating. Percy’s legs trembled and he gripped the metal shelf in front of him to stop himself from falling to the ground. Jason’s touch felt like heaven and all Percy wanted to do was melt against him and never let go. The sound of the junkies faded away, but they were still in the hospital, they just seemed a really, really long way away as Jason stroked Percy’s cock.

“I want to do this slowly,” Jason murmured, pushing two fingers into Percy’s mouth. The light-headed boy took them eagerly, “I want to take my time with you, but we don’t have that time.”

He pulled his fingers free and shoved Percy’s sweatpants down.

He prepared him hurriedly and roughly, with Percy whimpering and moaning against his hand and clinging onto his wrists. It was hard and dirty, and neither of them had washed in ages, and God knows what had been kept in the closet, but there was something incredibly arousing about how wrong and filthy and dangerous it all was. It made Percy’s blood sing with adrenaline, and overwhelmed him completely to the point of his underwear being completely drenched in precum by the time Jason pulled his fingers out.

Percy heard him spit on his hand as his head spun and he tried to catch his breath – he could also hear the junkies in the distance, but they seemed very, very unimportant right now.

“You sure you want to do this?” Jason asked, gripping Percy’s hip. Percy nodded.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, barely cohesive, “F-Fuck, _yeah.”_

“Alright,” Jason sounded pretty out of it to as he pressed himself flush against Percy’s back. In a sudden moment of tenderness he pushed his jumper aside and kissed his bandaged shoulder, “I’ll try to go slow, and you need to be quiet, okay? If you’re too loud I’ll stop.”

Percy huffed out a laugh, “You think you’re that good?”

In response he felt Jason press the head of his cock against his entrance and he gasped, resting his forehead against the shelf. It was so dark he could barely make out the edges, and he bit his hand when he felt the first inch of Jason’s thick cock slide inside him. Spit and precum weren’t the best for lube, but neither boy cared, and Percy revelled in the burn of being filled, slowly, inch by inch. He hadn’t felt it in years, and it made him forget all about the fact that the world had literally ended.

“G-God,” he stammered.

“I know,” Jason leaned over him and wrapped an arm around Percy’s waist, breathless, “I know. It feels fucking amazing,” he kissed the back of Percy’s neck sloppily.

Percy panted and tried to keep his moans at bay, and he was doing quite alright – Jason finally sheathed himself fully inside him, and was giving him a moment, and it was _fine, _and then Jason started to move. It was good at first, and then, as he sped up, it got _really _good and tears sprung to Percy’s eyes and his breaths kept getting more desperate and high pitched and loud.

“_Nghh..._a-ah...f-fuck-,” he whimpered, trying to stay as quiet as physically possible, gripping Jason’s arm.

“No, hush,” Jason whispered desperately, “You need to be quiet.”

“I-I can’t,” Percy gritted, “S-Slow down..._fuck..._please...”

“I can’t,” Jason hissed, and clamped his hand shut over Percy’s mouth again. His thrusts got harder and rougher, and Percy felt like Jason was fucking up his insides but in the best way and all he could do was sob against his palm as Jason crushed him against his body, “Shhh, f-fuck...just shush, y-you’re doing so good,” he murmured quietly into Percy’s ear and Percy’s eyes literally rolled back. He clumsily grabbed hold of his own cock and gave it two strokes and then he was coming onto the floor with a soft sob.

Jason continued to fuck him through his afterglow. Honestly, Percy wasn’t even sure when Jason himself came; the next thing he was aware of was sitting on the floor of the cupboard, legs touching Jason’s.

And it was silent.

“I think they’re gone,” Jason croaked, and Percy was simultaneously glad for the darkness, and really wishing to see the blond.

“Should we wait the night out here, or...?” Percy asked quietly.

“Best to wait, I think,” Jason said.

They re-arranged their coats, and laid back-to-back on the floor. It was uncomfortable, and Percy’s heart hurt.

“I don’t like you or anything, by the way,” he told Jason hurriedly as shame filled him – he had been so _needy. _

“Yeah,” Jason’s voice was hard, “yeah, I know. I mean...we’ve only known each other for like a few days...”

“Yeah, right,” Percy said, “Nice shag though, thanks.”

“Yeah,” Jason mumbled.

Neither of them got much sleep that night.

***

The next morning Jason and Percy stepped out into the trashed hospital hallway, in the bright morning sunlight. It had been four days since they left the Museum, and five days since they met each other. It felt like they had spent a lifetime together.

And yet neither of them could look the other in the eye that morning, the tension of last night’s events hanging over them. Percy caught a glimpse of himself in a partially shattered mirror when they were leaving the hospital, and saw the hickeys blooming on his neck.

He wanted to hold Jason’s hand as they walked down the street, but obviously he couldn’t.

They walked the last hour and a half of their trip in silence, and with every sign they passed on the road with a place closer to Watford, made Percy feel sick. He knew once they arrived at the Colosseum, Jason would go back to the Museum. He didn’t want that; as he watched Jason’s broad shoulders and blond hair in front of him all he wanted to do was stay with him and see how things would turn out.

STANMORE.

It was so complicated – Percy felt like he was falling in love but that was ridiculous; they had only known each other for a few days...

“You know,” Percy said, “You’ll probably need an escort back to the Museum, with all those junkies around...”

“I’ll be fine,” Jason’s reply was quick, curt, cold.

MERRY HILL.

Percy hugged himself as he walked, swallowed back tears. He wasn’t like this, he wasn’t weak, he didn’t need anyone. He had managed alone for three years, hadn’t he? He had survived.

So why was the thought of Jason leaving breaking his heart?

OXHEY.

Jason stopped in the middle of the street with a sign for Watford up ahead, and turned to look at Percy, and his expression was full of pain.

“I need to tell you something,” he said.

_I love you too, _Percy wanted to shout, but he quelled his emotion and told himself he was being too hopfeul.

“Yeah?” he asked, a little shaky.

Jason looked agitated; he pushed his hair back and looked around the street; there was a bridge up ahead, the arch of which they’d have to pass under. It looked like the one in Camden.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he said, “not that you asked or anything, but I feel like I owe it to you to tell you the truth.”

Percy felt nauseous, “Yeah, just tell me,” he said, feeling really off. Jason looked like he was going to be sick, but he met Percy’s eyes for the first time that day.

“Zeus is my dad.”

Percy blinked, “What?”

Jason pushed his hair back again, Percy noticed he did that when he was anxious, “I ran from him, when I found out that he was doing those experiments...”

“_Wait!” _Percy yelled, and Jason flinched, “You’re _Zeus’ _kid?!” the blond nodded faintly, “B-But you...you...”

“Those junkies that attacked us in Hyde Park, and those that chased us to the hospital...that was my fault. They were looking for me, and when they found out another Olympian’s kid was with me...”

Percy shoved Jason, and the blond stumbled back, “What the fuck?! Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because I knew you’d get mad.”

“Of course I would!” Percy raged, “Y-You...you...you _lied _to me! I almost got kidnapped, _killed-“_

“No,” Jason said firmly, approaching Percy, “No, I would’ve never let them do anything to you.”

“Yeah, right,” Percy said bitterly, “Did those Demeter kids really save you or were you lying about that too?”

Jason’s shoulders slumped, “I spoke to them, asked them to send a message to my father. I was going to go save you, but the Demeter kids got to you...”

“I can’t believe this,” Percy said, horrified, “So what? Were you planning to follow me to my dad’s hideout and what? Kill all of us, unleash those junkie monsters on us?!”

“No,” Jason’s eyes were full of pain, “It wasn’t like that, I want no part in my father’s plans-“

“I don’t believe you,” Percy growled.

“Perce-,” Jason tried to take a step towards him.

“Stay away from me!” Percy yelled, “What is wrong with you?! All this time I could have known and protected myself better, instead of thinking this would be a fucking walk in the park!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m done,” Percy said, “the first person I properly trust since this whole mess starts and it turns out to be _you.”_

“Let me fix it,” Jason pleaded.

“No,” Percy snapped, “No, you can fuck right off. I’m going the rest of the way alone.”

“No,” Jason stood up straighter, “I promised I’d get you to your dad and I will. Then I’ll leave, I promise.”

Percy stormed down the street without another word and Jason followed at a reasonable distance behind him. The taste of betrayal was sour in Percy’s mouth.

With every step Percy took the anger seeped out of him and bitter acceptance took its place. He couldn’t trust anyone, maybe not even his dad.

Jason didn’t try to talk to him or to catch up, just followed Percy like a protective shadow.

A few people milled around the Colosseum, a big, chunky building. They weren’t junkies, but they looked lost and watched Percy and Jason approach with big eyes.

Percy, fuelled by newfound knowledge, stormed towards the one at the entrance, a big boy with eyes so close they might’ve as well been one.

“Where’s Poseidon?” Percy asked, “I need to speak to him.”

The boy shrugged, “I don’t know. We haven’t seen in him weeks.”

“What?” Percy blinked.

The boy shrugged again, “Some say he’s gone to the beach.”

“Which beach?” Percy demanded.

The boy shrugged once more, “Brighton, I think. Dunno though.”

Just like that, all the fight went out of Percy. He went off to the side and plopped down on the stairs leading up to the Colosseum, completely defeated.

Jason came and sat next to him. He didn’t say anything for a while and Percy hated himself for wanting to crawl into his arms and forget the world.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said again. Percy bit back tears.

“It doesn’t matter. Go home.”

“The museum isn’t my home,” Jason brushed his fingers over the steps absentmindedly, “I...,” he bit his lip, looked conflicted, “I don’t know how to say this.”

“Just spit it out.”

“I really like you,” he said, “More than I have liked anyone, probably ever.”

Percy blinked, surprised, and his chest felt a little lighter.

“I...I know you don’t trust me, but you _have _to believe me,” Jason looked at him, “I want nothing to do with my dad, and I want everything to do with you.”

“What about Annabeth and Athena?”

“The Museum will always be there,” Jason’s hand crept across the step and he carefully pressed it against Percy’s. The dark haired boy didn’t move it away, heart pounding, “But I want to take you to Brighton.”

Percy shook his head, “My dad might not be there.”

“Or he might,” Jason shrugged, “Either way...getting out of London would be nice, eh? No fractions, no Olympians, no crazy junkies,” he smiled faintly, “It’d be us and the beach and maybe...,” he looked away, “maybe more of what happened in the hospital. But properly.”

A smile bloomed on Percy’s face, he just couldn’t help it. What Jason was describing was the paradise in this apocalypse. Slowly, carefully Percy slid his fingers through Jason’s.

“I’ve always liked the sea,” he said.


	10. Three's a Crowd (Frank x Hazel x Leo)

**Frazeleo college au? The seven are a little friend group where Leo is the only single one, and it's because he's had awful relationships with the past, and he doesn't want to get into another because it's always just been bad. One night when they're pre-gaming to go out partying they play truth or dare, and someone asks Frank and Hazel who would they have a threesome with, and they both say Leo. Leo gets all flustered and tells them to shut up. But, for the rest of the night Leo keeps thinking about it, and Frank and Hazel keep being really hot and attractive and domineering towards Leo, and they end up having a threesome. They start hooking up more and more, and they all start developing feelings pretty quickly. Frank and Hazel are very open about the fact they like Leo and are open to being a throuple, but Leo is too scared it will go south and won't advance anything. eventually they end up together tho  
For everythingiseverything**

** **

The house was loud as always as seven twenty-one year old college seniors dashed out of the living-room and kitchen of the place they had lived in together for three years.

“Piper!” Annabeth yelled as she smacked her bottle of spiced rum on the dining table and glared at her friend who came downstairs, “Those are _my _boots!”

The brunette stopped and peeked at her feet, then smiled sheepishly, “Whoops.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes but didn’t argue the case further, “Come on guys!” she yelled as Jason came out of the kitchen with a bowl of chips, followed by Percy, who wielded a four-pack of beer in each hand, “We only have two hours if we want to get to the club before midnight!”

“Coming , coming,” Leo emerged from his downstairs bedroom, dressed in a red t-shirt and dungarees.

“_Leo,” _Piper sat down next to Annabeth with a bottle of wine, “Your outfit’s clashing.”

Leo blinked down at himself, “Is it?”

“No,” Hazel said as she and Frank descended down the stairs; she in a small, sparkly black dress and he in a black t-shirt that hugged his muscles, “I think you look nice, Leo,” she smiled at him.

“Thank you!” Leo exclaimed indignantly and then sat down at the table. Annabeth poured him a rum and coke and passed it to him as everyone took their seats.

“Alright, game-time,” Percy rubbed his hands together mischievously, “What should we play?”

“Truth or dare?” Frank suggested.

“_No,” _Annabeth groaned, “I’m not taking a shot of cooking oil again.”

Leo grinned, “Nah, I think that’s a brilliant idea. I’ll start,” he added before anyone could protest further, “Annabeth truth or dare?”

“Fuck off.”

“Alright,” Leo said cheerfully, “Percy, truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Percy said confidently.

“Motorboat Annabeth’s tits.”

Hazel hit Leo upside the head, “Don’t say _tits.”_

“I’m too sober for this,” Jason cracked open a can as Annabeth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Absolutely not.”

“You know what the alternative,” Leo sang. Frank stood up.

“I’ll go get the tequila.”

He came back from the kitchen with a half-finished bottle and poured a shot. He slid it across the table to Annabeth and she looked outraged.

“Bitch! It’s Percy’s go, it’s _his _shot!”

“Hey, I’m happy to motorboat you,” her boyfriend replied innocently. Annabeth glared.

“I hate you all,” she said, and tossed back her shot. A cheer went around the table and Frank took his place next to Hazel. Leo, who was sitting next to the girl, saw them weave their fingers together under the table and felt a pang go through his chest.

Percy and Annabeth were play-bickering, while Jason and Piper exchanged quiet remarks as they ate the chips. Not for the first time since he had met his friends, Leo felt terribly alone.

Being in a group of friends made up of all couples really sucked when you were single, and yet every time Leo would get a boyfriend or girlfriend and introduce them to the group, it never lasted. Leo knew he was the problem – he wasn’t good enough, not attentive enough, not interesting enough. At this point he was tired of being lied to, cheated on and getting heartbroken. After his last boyfriend, whom Leo had brought to a house-party only to watch him try to get with anything with a pulse and ignore him for the whole night, Leo was done. He didn’t want another relationship...but watching everyone be happy together, especially in moments like this, hurt.

He glanced at Hazel and Frank slyly, at their hands. He wished he could slip his between theirs. It’s not like he _wanted _anything from them...he just happened to have an innocent crush on both of them. A crush that would never see the day of light.

“Alright!” Piper clapped her hands, bringing Leo back to reality. He looked away, blushing and glad he hadn’t been caught staring, “Percy, your turn.”

“This is so unfair,” Annabeth scoffed.

“Okay,” Percy ignored her and his eyes scanned his friends, “Hmmm...Leo, truth or dare?”

“Uh...,” Leo fidgeted, “Truth?”

“Boring!” Percy proclaimed. Leo rolled his eyes and laughed.

“Okay, okay. Dare, then.”

Percy smirked, “I dare you to swap underwear with Piper.”

A ripple of laughter went through the group, “Bra too?” Leo asked.

“Nah, just pants.”

He and Piper left the room and walked into Leo’s bedroom, which was the closest.

“I need these back before we leave,” Piper told the boy as she slid off her jeans, revealing a red thong underneath. Leo snickered.

“Aw, dressing up for Jason?”

“Shut up, Valdez,” Piper grinned and threw the underwear at him. He hurriedly undid his dungarees and pulled off his boxers, tossing them at Piper. They were very comfortable getting naked in front of each other, the whole house was.

“You looking to get with anyone at the club?” Piper asked as she tugged on his boxers. They fit her.

“Nah,” Leo hurriedly did up his dungarees, “Got burnt too many times.”

Piper ruffled his hair sympathetically, “Maybe next time...”

“Yeah, yeah,” Leo rolled his eyes, “Come on, let’s get drunk.”

They returned to the table where the game continued, with Jason and Percy being dared to kiss, Piper asked who at the table she’d fuck, marry and kill (fuck Annabeth, marry Jason and kill Percy), and Frank having to do a ‘suicide shot,’ among other things. Finally, by the time 11pm rolled around and everyone was sufficiently tipsy, Percy asked the fateful question.

“Hazel, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” the girl giggled.

“Aw, c’mon Haze!” Leo laughed, “you _always _pick truth!”

The girl stuck her tongue out at him.

“Actually,” Percy’s eyes twinkled, “Can I ask a question to both Frank and Hazel?”

The group exchanged looks and shrugged, “Sure,” Jason said as he finished his fourth can of beer. He reached for one of Percy’s, and the boy was too preoccupied with his plan to notice.

“Alright,” he smirked, “Hazel, Frank, if you had to pick someone around the table to have a threesome with, who would it be?”

“Here we goooo,” Piper laughed.

The couple exchanged a look at then, simultaneously, said “Leo,” as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Latino flinched, and his stomach filled with heat that quickly spread to his face. The eyes of everyone else widened, but Hazel and Frank looked unfazed.

“Seriously?” Percy questioned, “Even you, Frank?”

Frank shrugged, glanced at Leo, and Leo quickly looked away, feeling like he was about to burst into flames, “Yeah, who else? He’s pretty cute, and he has a nice ass.”

“S-Shut up,” Leo spluttered, curling his hands into fists at his sides, embarrassed. The group erupted into laughter and Leo wanted to disappear – of course it was a joke, why would a couple as good looking as Hazel and Frank want _him _as their third?

_He’s pretty cute, and he has a nice ass. _Frank’s words pounded in Leo’s head for the remainder in the game – the man was always somewhat hostile towards Leo and they had a whole love-hate thing going on, but to hear a compliment from him...

Leo was very glad when the Ubers arrived; the group piled outside, checking they all had money and ID’s.

“Leo,” Hazel said as Frank held the doors to their Uber open, “Why don’t you come into this one.”

Blood rushed to Leo’s face, “Uh...,” he managed to grunt out, but thankfully in the tipsy-chaos of getting into the cars he managed to quickly slip into Piper’s. He couldn’t imagine sitting in a car between Hazel and Frank right now and it not ending badly. 

As the car bumped down the road and Piper, Jason and Percy sang along to the radio, Leo kept telling himself to stop being stupid; it was a truth question, it didn’t _mean _anything. He couldn’t let his stupid feelings get in the way of their friendship because of one, innocent comment.

***

The club was full of young drunk adults grinding up on each other and shoving tongues down each other’s throats by the time the Seven arrived.

“Shots!” Leo proclaimed immediately, because he found he was still too sober to face Hazel and Frank. He grabbed Piper’s hand in one of his, grabbed Jason by the sleeve, and dragged them to the bar where he ordered a round of tequila shots.

“Are you alright?” Piper looked a little concerned at the speed in which Leo got the alcohol down, not even flinching. He nodded, not looking at her.

“All good.”

“Let’s go dance,” Jason said.

Leo shook his head, “Didn’t Percy get a booth?” his head was spinning a little as he ordered himself a rum and coke, “I’m going to the booth.”

Sure enough the rest of the Seven had dumped their jackets in said booth and abandoned it for the dance-floor. Leo slipped in and sat by himself, sipping at his drink and watching the writhing cloud. The music was so loud the floor was vibrating.

Leo slumped in his seat, hating himself for how much he was over-thinking everything. Why couldn’t he just join everyone on the dance-floor and forget it?

_He’s cute. _

Leo squeezed his eyes shut, heart trembling. _Forget it, forget it. _

He downed half of his drink and looked around the booth. Subconsciously his hand crept towards Hazel’s coat and he touched it, before quickly snatching his hand back. He was being an idiot, and inappropriate. Frank and Hazel were together, and he had to respect that. His useless pining was just that – useless.

Leo finished his drink feeling depressed. The world was floaty and soft around the edges and he knew he was drunk. He didn’t know how long he sat there, forgotten by all the couples, with his empty glass, but eventually Hazel materialised in front of him.

Leo’s heart jumped in his chest when he saw her; her dark lipstick, the fishnet tights hugging her soft-looking thighs, the way her dress protruded at the chest and then inched inwards at her waist. She was so gorgeous, much too gorgeous for Leo.

“How long are you gonna mop?” she asked with a smile, hands on her tantalizing hips.

Leo slid further in his seat, “I’m not moping,” he lied. The girl stuck her hand out.

“C’mon, they’re playing our song,” they were, and Leo hadn’t even noticed. He couldn’t ignore Hazel’s hand, it would look like he was being rude. Anxiously, he took it.

Hazel pulled Leo onto the dance-floor, the way she _always _did, but this time it was different and there was a kind of darkness in her eyes that made Leo’s stomach knot itself up and his pants grow the tiniest bit hard. He knew his hands were clammy and that he looked like a deer in the headlights, but if Hazel was noticing his fluster, she didn’t mention it, smiling as she pulled Leo close to her.

They had done this so many times, danced together like this as friends so many times, so why...why now...

Hazel placed her hands on Leo’s hips and pulled him up against her and slid her body against his just the right way. Her breasts brushed against his chest, and blood rushed to his face and he kind of just stood there, frozen and unsure of what to do. Hazel was only slightly shorter than him and so it was easy for her to lean in and shout over the music into his ear.

“What’s with you?!”

Leo snapped back into action and smiled sheepishly. He couldn’t let her know what was happening inside his head right now. His smile turned into a charming grin and he took her hands off his hips and slipped them around his neck, before wounding an arm around her waist.

“Nothing!” he shouted, and she grinned back as they swayed together.

They were just friends, they were dancing as friends.

The tequila Leo had drank started to make its presence known, and his veins thrummed with warmth. The room was dark, blurry, the bouncing disco lights disorientating. Leo was completely focused on Hazel, and every brush of her body against his was electrifying.

The dance-floor grew more crowded as more drunks shoved themselves on, to sing to their favourite song. Hazel smelled sweet. Leo didn’t notice they had migrated to the corner, where the shadows were deep and nobody would pay attention to them.

Not until he saw Frank approaching; it was impossible to miss him, towering over the crowd, and huge.

Leo realised what it looked like all of a sudden – he had the man’s girlfriend in a dark corner and they were grinding together. _Fuck. _He quickly let go of Hazel’s hips and tried to step back but the girl pulled him up against her with a sudden burst of strength.

“Hazel-“ Leo panicked, but the Frank was there, and he just slid behind Leo and-

And Frank wound an arm around his waist and pulled Leo flush up against him. The Latino felt the unmistakable hardness of an erection press against his ass and he gasped. Hazel smirked and plastered herself against Leo’s front, and the couple grinded against Leo’s body and the man didn’t know what was happening.

“W-Wait,” he whispered breathlessly, and had to bite back a moan as one of Frank’s big hands slid underneath his shirt. His fingers were cold, but it just made Leo’s body burn, “W-What...”

“Come on Leo,” Frank’s deep, gruff voice in his ear was a delightful contrast to Hazel’s sweet, sing-song one. He sounded angry and possessive, but he didn’t say anything more, though he didn’t have to; those three words were enough to send shoots of fire right down to Leo’s cock.

_No, don’t get hard, _he told himself as he tried to weasel back before his friends realised and got disgusted – the action caused him to rub himself up against Frank and the bigger man gasped into Leo’s ear, surprised. Leo shivered, whimpered so quietly he thought nobody heard.

Hazel did though, and she smirked and shoved a hand down Leo’s pants. He flinched and his eyes flew wide. _Your boyfriend’s right here! _he wanted to shout at Hazel, but she was so gorgeous, and intoxicating, and her warm fingers wrapped around Leo’s cock so unashamedly that all he could do was let out a helpless moan.

She caught that moan in a kiss as she shifted closer and gave his erection another stroke. Leo was trapped between the duo, surrounded by warmth, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe, but in the best way. Hazel’s lips were soft, her kisses slow and languid, and Leo felt like he was going to melt, or die.

She pulled away, leaving Leo breathless and slumped against Frank.

“The Uber’s outside,” Frank said. Hazel nodded, smiled, and leaned in close to Leo. The boy expected another kiss, subconsciously leaned in, but she stopped inches from his mouth, her nose brushing against his, her curls tickling his face. She had a mischief in her eyes that Leo had never seen before.

“Want to come home?” she whispered, and somehow he heard her over the music. His stomach clenched and his world tilted and all he could do was nod desperately, blood rushing south at the implication.

_This isn’t happening, _he told himself, _it’s a joke, or they want to go upstairs and talk, or Frank wants to beat me up..._the thoughts rushed through his dazed head even as Hazel took his hand and led him through the crowd and out of the club. Everyone was too intoxicated to notice the trio climb up the stairs and disappear into the chilly night.

In the Uber Hazel wouldn’t stop kissing Leo, hands on his face, tongue in his mouth. She was surprisingly good for someone who often came across as shy and virginal, and the way she licked in Leo’s mouth made his knees feel weak. Frank seemed completely unfazed by his girlfriend making out with another guy, and his hand casually rested on Leo’s thigh, burning a metaphorical hole through his dungarees.

The drive seemed way quicker than fifteen minutes, and the three eagerly stumbled to their front door, with Frank unlocking it as Hazel continued to kiss Leo, her hands trailing over his hips and ass. Leo was still stuck in an _oh-my-God-I’m-dreaming _mindset and was a bit frozen, but Hazel didn’t seem to mind as she steered him into the house.

The living-room was as they had left it, with empty bottles still on the table and everything smelling faintly of wine.

“W-Where are we going?” Leo asked as Frank shoved off his shoes and then pulled Leo’s jacket off.

“Upstairs,” Hazel kissed his neck, kicking off her heels. She smiled and took Leo’s hand, pulling him along. The boy stumbled after her, and glanced over his shoulder at Frank. His eyes were dark and intense and Leo quickly looked away, stomach tightening.

They made it up the stairs and turned into Hazel’s and Frank’s room. Immediately Hazel shoved Leo down onto their huge king-sized bed and Frank pulled off his shoes. They didn’t turn the light on but the moonlight from outside was enough as Hazel seductively climbed up Leo’s body, hovering over him. They were both moving so smoothly, almost like they had planned this.

Hazel kissed Leo again, her hands sliding between him and the mattress and hurriedy undid his dungarees. Leo’s head was swimming and he was hopelessly pliant, leaning up greedily into Hazel’s mouth and kissing her. Every slow stroke of her tongue against his sent shivers running down his spine and she was both soft and commanding and Leo wanted nothing else than for her to stay pressed on top of him, her breasts against his chest and hands against his back.

Except, there was _one _more thing he wanted.

_Frank, _Leo’s head swam with alcohol but he couldn’t see the man anywhere, it was just Hazel and the delicate smell of her perfume. She positioned herself better, and then grinded down against Leo’s erection and the boy arched up and moaned and Hazel smirked.

“God, you’re so cute,” she whispered as she attached her lips to Leo’s neck. Her neck-kissing was as slow and sensational as before and Leo’s eyes fluttered shut as his breath grew more laboured. He had never seen Hazel like this, so seductive and confident, but she made so much sense in this way, making Leo feel light-headed.

When she pulled away from his neck, the two looked at each other and they were both flushed and breathless, their curls a little tousled. They shared another kiss, a sweeter one, and then Hazel sat back. Leo immediately missed her warmth.

“Frankie,” he heard her say and turned his head to the side. Frank was sitting on the edge of the bed in just his boxers, watching them with dark eyes. Leo’s cock twitched in his boxers at the sight of him, the moonlight dancing off his hard-rock abs and perfect muscles that once made Leo jealous and now made him impossibly aroused, “Why don’t you come join us?”

A faint smile appeared on Frank’s lips, “I’m enjoying the view.”

“You’ll enjoy participating even more,” Hazel said teasingly, and pulled Leo’s dungarees down. When had she...?

“W-Wait-,” Leo tried to reach for them but he was disorientated and really horny and Hazel was in control as she whipped them off, leaving Leo in just his red t-shirt and-

Hazel’s eyes widened, “Are those...?”

Leo hurriedly shoved his t-shirt down to cover his crotch, bright-red, “W-We forgot!” he squeaked. He and Piper never swapped underwear, so here he was, laying in the shared bed of his two crushes in nothing but a t-shirt and a lacy red thong.

“I think I _would _like to participate,” Frank growled and there was something animalistic in his voice. Hazel slipped off Leo and laid down next to him and Frank grabbed the Latino by his ankles and jerked him down the bed. Leo squeaked, and his t-shirt rode up, exposing _everything, _but he didn’t have time to cover himself again because then Frank was on top of him, a warm, hard, comforting weight.

Leo and Frank had a complicated relationship; whereas Leo and Hazel loved each other unconditionally and were always super close, cuddled up on the couch and whatnot, he and Frank...well, their friendship was based on teasing and bullying each other, and play-fighting, and they had never been physically this close, this _intimate, _and Leo didn’t know what to do.

Thankfully Frank did.

“You’ve got Hazel’s lipstick all over your mouth,” the man whispered and brushed his thumb over Leo’s lips and then leaned down and captured them in a dominating, rough kiss that was _so _different from Hazel’s.

Frank didn’t waste any time plunging his tongue into Leo’s mouth and the Latino’s head spun and he _whimpered, _fingers digging into Frank’s biceps as the man literally fucked his mouth. Leo felt like he was going to pass out; where Hazel was soft and gentle, Frank was hard and rough, his body crushing Leo into the mattress in the most delectable way. He smelled like cologne, and sweat, and he was _perfect, _and so was Hazel, whose fingers brushed through Leo’s hair as her boyfriend kissed him. Her hand slipped between their crotches, and she freed Frank’s cock from his boxers with expertise, before pulling Leo’s erection out of his panties. The Latino flinched, but Frank cupped his face in his hands and the kiss slowed for a second, as if he was saying _hey, it’s okay, _before turning rough again. Frank pulled Leo’s lower lip into his mouth and nibbled on it, and Leo shivered.

That’s when Hazel decided to grip both of their cocks together in one of her small hands and give them a stroke. She could only hold one side, mostly because of how huge Frank was, Leo’s cock pretty and arched against his, but it was so good that both of the boys moaned into each other’s mouths, kissing a little harder. The combined feeling of Hazel’s soft palm against his erection, as well as feeling the throbbing heat of Frank’s cock against his own, made Leo feel like he was going to come right there and then.

“F-Fuck,” Leo gasped when she ran her thumb over their heads, mingling their pre-come together. Frank leaned their foreheads together and they breathed into each other’s mouths.

“You’re fucking obscene,” Frank said hoarsely, subconsciously grinding down against Leo’s penis and Hazel’s hand. The girl was leaning up on her arm, watching the two hungrily.

“Big word there for you, Frankie,” Leo said breathlessly.

“You’re in no position to get smart right now, Valdez,” Frank growled and it made Leo so _hard _and aching that all he could do was nod mutely.

“Here,” Hazel said sweetly, turning Leo’s head with her free hand so she could kiss him now. Her soft mouth was welcome against Leo’s aching lips, but Frank wasn’t just going to give him up to her – he attacked Leo’s neck with bites and kisses, and Hazel’s hand sped up between their bodies, and Leo’s toes curled as he moaned helplessly.

The girl pulled away.

“No,” Leo whined, reaching for her. She huffed out a laugh.

“You’re so adorable,” she whispered and kissed his forehead, and Leo watched with half-closed eyes as she pulled off her dress, leaving her in a lacy black bra and matching panties. She quickly unclipped the bra too as Frank continued to kiss Leo’s neck, revealing all of her perfect curves.

Then she laid down next to Leo again, and pulled him from Frank’s arms.

“Hey!” the man protested, and Hazel giggled.

“Sorry, babe, I can’t get enough of him.”

She leaned up, as did Frank, and they kissed over Leo with a familiar hunger and love. Leo watched them breathlessly and everything in him clenched at the sight – Frank reached out and cupped Hazel’s breast tenderly and all Leo could think was _why him? _Why on earth would these two gorgeous specimen ever want to have sex with someone as lanky and awkward as him?

Using their distraction Leo went to shimmy out of Piper’s underwear, but the couple noticed.

“Oh no you don’t,” Hazel’s voice dripped in sugar as she pulled Leo’s hands away.

“It’s embarrassing,” he whispered.

“It’s not,” Frank laid down behind him and placed a hand over said panties hugging Leo’s hip. He pressed his cock against the boy’s ass, “It’s really sexy.”

Hazel laid down face-to-face with Leo, “He’s right. You’re so gorgeous.”

Leo shivered, “I-...,” he didn’t know what to say. Frank kissed the back of his neck affectionately and grinded against his ass slowly.

“Here,” Hazel murmured, taking Leo’s hand in hers and placing it on her shoulder, “You can touch us too.”

Hesitantly Leo ran his hand down her arm. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, terrified that he would do something wrong and ruin everything, but Hazel just smiled, and when he shyly brushed his fingers over her breast her eyes fluttered shut. Encouraged, Leo pressed his thumb against her nipple, and Hazel bit her plump bottom lip in response. It was intoxicating to watch, and having Frank’s warmth behind him made Leo feel like it was okay for him to do that.

Feeling a little more confident, Leo leaned forward and pressed his mouth over Hazel’s nipple, sucking gently. The girl gasped and seconds later Leo could hear her and Frank making out above his head.

Frank grabbed Leo’s hand suddenly, and guided it to Hazel’s panties. Trembling, Leo slipped his hand in, feeling the lace against his fingers, the soft hair there. He didn’t know what to do; he had had sex with girls before, but never like this, never in a way that made his heart clench like this.

Hesitantly he slid his fingers against Hazel’s crotch, felt the surprising wetness there. Hazel moaned above him, startling Leo, and he felt her hand curl into his hair. Simultaneously Frank reached down his front and gripped Leo’s somewhat forgotten erection in his hand as he grinded against the Latino’s ass.

Leo released Hazel’s nipple to moan, pressing his face against her chest. She cradled him there and he pushed two of his fingers inside herself.

“_Oh,” _she gasped, sliding a leg over Leo’s waist, “Leo.”

He trembled, Frank’s fingers tightened around his erection and gave it a stroke and the couple kept kissing. It was the best dream ever, and Leo never wanted to wake up.

He fingered Hazel somewhat clumsily, still a little drunk, and also a little unsure, but she seemed to enjoy it, gasping and moaning into Frank’s mouth. The man’s hand was rough and calloused against Leo’s dick, but the Latino loved every moment of it and subconsciously arched back against Frank’s own cock, hot against his ass.

“Enough,” Hazel said suddenly, pulling Leo’s hand free and tugging him back up to face her.

“Did I do something wrong?” the Latino panicked. She kissed him deeply.

“No, you’re absolutely perfect. I just want you to put something else in there.”

The implication of what she said made heat curl in Leo’s stomach. She stroked his cheek,

“Would you like that?”

Leo nodded hurriedly, “Yeah, fuck I’d love that. Are you kidding? It’s like Christmas came early,” he babbled. Hazel laughed and tugged him closer, slipping off her underwear and sliding a leg around Leo’s waist.

Frank was still holding Leo’s cock and he guided the boy up against Hazel’s entrance. Leo tensed.

“W-Wait! Shouldn’t I wear a condom-“

“It’s fine,” the girl said, “I’m on birth control.”

“But isn’t it...,” Leo didn’t want to say it out loud. _Isn’t it weird to have a one night stand not wear a condom?_

“I want to feel you,” Hazel said firmly, and kissed him passionately. Frank nudged Leo forward, and the head of the Latino’s erection slipped inside the girl. They both gasped, and Leo slid into her easily.

All of a sudden he was enveloped by heat and wetness that made his head spin. He moaned in pleasure, his stomach all in knots, and Hazel kissed him harder, her hole clenching around Leo.

“God,” she gasped against his mouth, still gripping his face, “This feels amazing.”

“You’re...I..._fuck...,” _Leo couldn’t get his words out or even make a cohesive thought. He gripped Hazel’s hip in his hand and slowly thrust in an out of her, and she was dripping so his cock entered her easily. She looped her arms around his neck, and reached behind him to touch Frank. He kissed her palm and smiled at her over Leo’s shoulder.

It was so loving, and gentle, and slow and Leo loved every second of it even though he couldn’t properly comprehend what was happening. It felt insanely good and to know it was _Hazel _he was having sex with was overwhelming. Leo, for the first time in his life, understood why people called this ‘making love’ because with every thrust and every kiss he could feel himself falling more and more in love with the girl, and that _hurt, _because he was very aware that this was just sex, a way for Hazel and Frank to spice up their relationship, something triggered by stupid truth or dare game and enabled by alcohol.

Leo heard a bottle cap open behind him but he could barely focus on that because of how overwhelmingly good being inside Hazel felt. He massaged her breasts and ran his hands down her thighs and she tangled her fingers in his curls and thrust her tongue into his mouth.

And then, suddenly, Leo felt his thongs being moved aside and a pressure against his ass, and then something big and hard was pushing into him. His eyes flew open and he cried out, his stomach tensing at the burning feeling of being penetrated. He froze, gasped, and Hazel sat up.

“Wait,” she said quickly and reached out to grab Frank’s arm. The man stopped, a few inches deep into a trembling Leo, “Frankie,” Hazel murmured gently, “Slow down, you’ll overwhelm him.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Frank blurted, leaning over Leo to shower his neck and cheek in kisses, “I’m sorry I should’ve asked,” he started to pull out but Leo reached back and grabbed his arm.

“No,” he gasped, “N-No, keep going. I-I want you to fuck me, I-I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Frank turned his face roughly and kissed him with desperation, as if he was afraid Leo would push him away, as if he wasn’t the strongest, most gorgeous, amazing guy – as if _he _was the inadequate one, not Leo. The Latino leaned into him and Frank slowly sank into him.

Leo’s eyes fell shut and he moaned, revelling in every spark of pain and pleasure he could feel. His own cock was still inside Hazel but had slipped out a little, and she nudged him back inside her completely. For a moment, Leo blacked out. It was just too much; Hazel’s soft body pressed against his and her hot wetness clenching around his dick on one side, and on the other Frank’s hard chest against his back and his even harder cock spread him open. It was like sensory overload, it was too much, too warm, too intense.

When Leo came back to himself Frank was thrusting into him gently and Hazel was kissing his neck. Tears prickled at Leo’s eyes and all the feelings he had for the couple threatened to come pouring out. He swallowed those tears down, and focused on the incredibly pleasure pulsing through his body. Hazel was grinding up against him, moaning into his neck, and Frank’s thrusts started to speed up, his fingers digging into Leo’s hip.

“G-God,” Leo gasped, and gripped Hazel’s curls in his hand, forcing her up for a kiss. Their lips moved together sloppily as Frank shoved his cock into Leo over and over, causing Leo’s own erection to thrust into Hazel. It was messy and wet and sloppy and perfect and Leo felt like he was going to fall apart, “F-Fuck..._nghh..._F-Frank, s-shit...”

In response the man groaned and bit Leo’s shoulder. Leo cried out, back arching, and lifted Hazel’s leg, thrusting into her faster.

“_Fuck,” _the girl cried out, and hearing her swear was obscene, “J-Jesus...Leo...”

Leo’s world spun, he didn’t know which way was up or down and everything was drowned in breathtaking pleasure that made him feel like he had died and gone to heaven. Nothing except him, Hazel and Leo and their bed existed – the world might have as well ended and none of them would have realised, they were so lost in kissing and touching and fucking each other. Leo had no idea how long it went for, he lost track of time, everything was hazy around the edges and his pleasure continued to grow each minute until he finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“I-I’m gonna come,” he moaned into Hazel’s neck.

“It’s okay,” she gasped, kissing him, “Come inside.”

“_Ah,” _Leo couldn’t keep his voice back, tears still in his eyes. He curled his fingers over Frank’s, which were still on his hip. The man panted behind him, his thrusts growing sloppier by the second and Leo knew he was close, “F-Frank...c-come inside too...”

“_Fuck,” _Frank growled and thrust into Leo harder and the boy started crying, it was just so good, “Leo, Jesus, you c-can’t...”

With a groan, Frank came inside Leo and thirty seconds later Leo emptied himself inside Hazel, trembling and moaning, completely spent.

The three of them remained squished together for a minute, holding each other close and catching their breaths. Then Frank pulled his cock out of Leo and the Latino’s soft, oversensitive dick flopped out of Hazel. He could barely stay away – he felt Frank kiss his forehead tenderly and then nudge him away from Hazel, and when Leo opened his eyes he saw the man between Hazel’s legs as she moaned softly, finishing her off.

Leo was off to the side of the bed, alone. It was over.

He stood up, legs shaking desperately, and picked up his t-shirt off the floor, shrugging it on. Dazed, he waddled to the door.

“Where are you going?” Frank’s head popped up from between Hazel’s smooth legs, expression confused and hair mused and eyes sleepy and content.

Leo’s heart clenched. _They’re not mine._

“Bed,” he mumbled.

Hazel sat up, “You can stay here.”

Leo shook his head; he didn’t need their pity, and he didn’t want to intrude on their afterglow, “I don’t wanna...,” he slurred, _intrude, _he finished in his head, opened the door and clumsily got down the stairs.

He flopped face-down in his own bed, exhausted and not sure if he had just imagined the whole thing. The aching between his legs and the come oozing down his thighs and the pain in his heart suggested he didn’t. But it wasn’t supposed to be like this; wasn’t he supposed to have after-glow and lay in the arms of the people he loved and giggle and kiss softly? Why was he here, alone?

Minutes later the door opened.

“We’re back!” Percy shouted cheerfully from the living-room, and Leo shoved his face into his pillow and burst into tears.

***

Everyone spent the day after the night out hangover on the couch, but Leo couldn’t bear to look Hazel or Frank in the eye so he remained cooped up in his room, working on constructing his robot. The following days he spent aggressively avoiding the couple. Guilt and embarrassment followed him wherever he went and he had cringed so many times remembering how he had acted that he was scared he’d dislocate something.

Bizarrely, Frank and Hazel acted normal – they asked if Leo wanted to get takeout with them the way they always did, made him cups of tea that he drank curled up in his bed, savouring every sip, asked to walk to lectures with him, which he always made excuses to avoid.

He knew it had just been a stupid, drunk one-night stand for Hazel and Frank, but for him it had been special – the time he didn’t spend self-hating about all the noises he made and the things he said, he spend relishing in the memory of being touched and kissed by the couple, every night he had a guilty masturbation session revolving around fucking them again, even though he knew it wouldn’t happen again.

About a week after that night Leo found himself sitting on his bed well past midnight, staring at his come-covered hand and feeling guilt build up in his gut as he had once again orgasmed to the thought of Frank and Hazel.

Feeling sick with himself he grabbed his towel, a pair of clean boxers and climbed upstairs to the bathroom, feeling like he needed a good scrub. The house was dark and silent as everyone slept peacefully, and Leo quietly got into the shower after stripping and turned the water on. It was scalding when it hit his body, just as he liked it.

The boy sighed and reached for the body-wash, lathering himself up and roughly scrubbing away at himself as if it would wash away the memory of that night and his growing heartbreak. Then he stood under the water for ages, eyes closed, body-temperature slowly rising.

When his cheeks were flushed and he felt a little lightheaded he turned to the wall and pressed his forehead against the cool tiles, exhaling again. He was so tired of feeling like this.

Suddenly the water went from hellishly-hot to standard-hot and Leo felt a presence behind him. His heart jumped and he turned around and came face to face with a gorgeous, sleepy, wet Hazel. His eyes widened.

“Haze-“

She shoved him up against the wall and kissed him passionately and Leo gasped. When she pulled away she was smirking and soaked, the white t-shirt she was wearing – Frank’s t-shirt – sticking to her frame and gone partially see-through in the most delicious way.

“Bit late for a shower,” she practically purred, running her hand down his chest and reaching for his dick. He flinched and laughed nervously.

“U-Um, i-isn’t Frank asleep?”

“Exactly,” Hazel shifted closer and curled her fingers around Leo’s dick, which was quickly becoming excited. Leo bit his lip to prevent a moan from spilling out as blood rushed to his head - was this really happening again? “He’s fast asleep, and I’ve decided to be selfish and have you all to myself this time. You don’t mind do you?” she dragged her lips over Leo’s pulse point and he felt like he was going to pass out.

“Not at all,” he squeaked, “A-Actually I’m the opposite of whatever minding is,” he laughed nervously again, and Hazel slid to her knees. Leo’s eyes widened and she smirked up at him, water cascading down her back. Then she gave Leo’s semi-hard-on a long lick, “_OhmyGod,” _Leo blurted, hands scrambling at the wet wall behind him for purchase as his erection got fully hard, “Haze, wait-“

She didn’t wait, she didn’t explain, she just took his cock into her mouth and started to suck. Leo remembered he hadn’t locked the door, he never did, and that’s how she had gotten in, but that’s all he had time to think off before the girl began to bob her head and his mind went blank.

Everything Hazel and Frank did didn’t compare to any other sexual encounter Leo had ever experienced – everything was so much better, so much more intense.

“S-Shit,” Leo gasped, “_Nghhh..._f-fuck, how are you so good at that?”

Hazel giggled, and the vibration send sparks of fire up Leo’s spine. It was so hot in the shower, steam rising, and the shower-curtain made it seem as if the world outside didn’t exist. Leo moaned again, then bit his lip, afraid the echo would wake the house up. His fingers slid into her wet curls. Her tongue slid over the head of his cock and Leo felt like his legs were going to give out...again. Hazel and Frank made him feel like a virgin all over again, like he had no experience, he fell apart under their hands.

_Frank. _

Leo whimpered. He wished the man was here to hold him up as Hazel continued her ministrations, sucking and licking and fondling, and touching Leo in just the right places as if she knew where his buttons were. Even though he had just come not fifteen minutes ago, Leo felt himself creeping closer to the edge.

“H-Haze,” he gasped, “I-I’m not gonna last...”

In response she slid a hand down his thigh, as if to tell him to go ahead, and deep-throated his cock. He cried out, curled his fingers into her hair, and exploded down her throat. He shook so badly that when she released his erection from her mouth his legs gave out and he slid to the floor of the shower.

Hazel was now face to face with him. She swallowed his come and smiled, “Thanks,” she said and kissed his cheek and left.

Leo sat in the shower, dumbfounded, until the hot water ran out, something Percy was _not _happy with the next day, though he never found out who it was.

***

A month later it was Valentine’s Day, a day Leo was used to spending alone on the couch with Taco Bell, watching old re-runs of Full House as all his couple-friends went out to celebrate. And just like the past three years, Percy and Annabeth said their goodbyes and went to the Aquarium, and Piper and Jason said their goodbyes and went to a nice Italian restaurant, and Hazel and Frank came downstairs last, when Leo was crossing the living-room with a plate of tacos.

“Leo!” Hazel grinned as if she was actually happy to see him, and she was in a lovely, soft cashmere sweater, her hair pulled back into a bun, and little silver tear-drop earrings dangling from her ears, “We’re going to the cinema and then gonna grab some food, you want to come with?”

Leo glanced at Frank, in his olive-green winter jacket, and forced a smile, “Nah, don’t wanna ruin your Valentine’s,” he said and turned to his room with his plate. He shut the door behind him and told himself he would have a nice evening just like he did every year, eat his food, maybe work on a new project...

Instead he put the plate down at his cluttered desk. He wasn’t hungry all of a sudden. Tears pricked his eyes when he heard the front door close and he sniffled. He sat on his bed, suddenly overwhelmed with the realisation that he was home alone, and that nobody wanted him, and he got angry because _fuck _who was so pathetic and cried on Valentine’s Day?

Suddenly determined to not be that person he whipped out his phone and went on Grindr, and within an hour he had invited some guy over and was waiting impatiently in the living-room, pacing, for another forty minutes. Finally the guy showed up – Leo couldn’t remember his name but he was tall and mixed-race and muscular, like a mixture of both Hazel and Frank.

“Hi,” he said, shrugging his shoes off and smiling at Leo, “Weird Valentine’s Day, huh?”

The Latino crossed the living-room and kissed him fiercely, not caring about chit-chatting. All he wanted was for someone to fuck him and make him forget his heartbreak. The guy seemed pretty on the same page because he ripped off his jacket without breaking the kiss, and then walked Leo backwards onto the couch.

A thought passed through Leo’s head that they probably shouldn’t do it on the couch, but he quickly forgot as the guy cupped his cock through his trousers.

***

“That was nice,” Hazel murmured as Frank pressed her into the front door and kissed her gently. She rubbed his arms comfortingly, “Really nice. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said and nudged his cold nose against hers. She giggled. It was a beautiful, starry, cold winter night. Frank sighed gently, “I just wish...”

“That he had come?” Hazel smiled softly, “I know, me too.”

“Maybe we need to make it clearer that we love him,” Frank said, “like...I don’t know. Maybe we should just tell him.”

Hazel sighed, “I’m just worried we’ll scare him off; he always looks so lost whenever we make a move – I’m sure he enjoys being with us, but he never wants to hang out with us.”

“Maybe you should do what you did in the shower again,” Frank said. Hazel smiled and pinched his cheek.

“Maybe _you _should.”

Frank dropped his eyes and shrugged, “Dunno, I just...I don’t think he likes me as much as he likes you.”

“That’s because you’re never affectionate,” Hazel laughed, “I’m sure he’d be more than happy to be with you alone,” she squeezed his hand, “Why don’t you talk to him about it?”

“Not tonight,” Frank said, “Maybe in the morning.”

The girl nodded, pecked him on the mouth and unlocked the front door. They walked into the dark corridor and began taking their jackets off.

“Looks like we’re back first-,” Frank started, and then both he and Hazel froze when they heard a moan coming from the living-room. They exchanged quick looks. _Percy? _Hazel mouthed. Frank pulled a face – one of the other couples was having sex on the couch and the stairs were in the living-room so they couldn’t go to their bedroom.

Another moan sounded, and the sound of skin slapping against skin became distinguishable. Hazel blushed and pressed her hands over her ears but Frank smirked, grabbed her hand and crept to the door.

“_No,” _Hazel hissed but Frank just smiled devilishly and peeked into the living-room.

He did not expect to see what he did; Leo sat in some random guy’s lap, completely naked, back arched and curls pushed back. His mouth was open in a moan as he bounced in said guy’s lap, eyes closed and cheeks flushed.

Frank saw red, and he stormed into the room.

“What the-,” the random guy started by Frank already had his arms under Leo’s arms – he jerked Leo off the guy’s dick unceremoniously.

“What the fuck?!” the Latino exclaimed, shocked.

“Who the hell are you?!” Hazel fumed at his lover. The man looked peeved as he quickly gathered his clothes.

“Shit, _shit,” _he glared at Leo, “You said you were single.”

Leo was struggling in Frank’s grip, his naked body rubbing against the enraged man, “I am!” he blurted, and both Hazel’s and Frank’s hearts cracked at that. Frank held Leo a little tighter, “Fuck, let _go, _Frank.”

“Whatever!” his lover yelled, and stormed out of the house. Only then did Frank let go of Leo, and the Latino scrambled for his underwear, bright red.

“What the fuck guys?!” he exclaimed.

Frank and Hazel looked at each other, and realised what they did. They had no right to have interrupted like that, but neither of them had been thinking straight, jealousy overtaking their bodies at seeing the boy they loved getting fucked by someone else.

Leo stood in front of them only in his underwear, pissed, “Hello?!” he yelled, “Anyone going to fucking explain?!”

“Why did you want him?” Hazel asked, taking a step towards Leo and reaching for him, “We can satisfy you-“

He slapped her hand away gently, “Don’t touch me,” he raged, “What the hell is wrong with you?!” he grabbed his clothes and stormed to his room, slamming the door shut like a pissed teenager.

Hazel’s eyes filled with tears and she fought a sob.

“Hey, hey, baby,” Frank quickly pulled her into his arms, “Shhh, don’t cry.”

“He hates us,” the girl whispered, heartbroken, “He’ll n-never love us back.”

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Frank murmured, stroking her hair, but he didn’t disagree.

***

It was early afternoon the next day, and Leo finally crept out of his room to a silent house – everyone was in lectures, and he felt relieved. He couldn’t sleep at night, over thinking every little thing he had ever done and now all he wanted was a comfort-hot-chocolate.

He went into the kitchen, not looking at the couch he had sex on the previous night as he passed through the living-room, feeling a little nauseous, still in his panda-print pj’s. He poured some of Jason’s milk into a cup, put two spoons of Percy’s hot chocolate powder in, stirred it and shoved it into the microwave.

He leaned against the counter and listened to the comforting _whirrrr _of the machine as it worked. When it pinged, he pulled the steaming cup out.

“Ah,” he let go of the handle, “Hot.

Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him and he turned around, surprised that someone was home after all; his heart jumped when he saw it was Frank, dressed in a purple hoodie and leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking kinda broody and...shy?

Leo wanted to crawl into his arms. His hand trembled as he stirred his hot chocolate.

“Hi,” Frank said, staring at the floor.

“Hi,” Leo tried not to sound like everything in him was falling apart. He swallowed, suddenly not wanting his drink anymore, “Y-You want hot chocolate?” he cursed himself internally as his voice shook.

Frank clenched his hands into fists, crossed the kitchen, turned Leo around by the arm, and kissed him. It was a bit awkward, just lips against lips, as if Frank was just as nervous as Leo, but it still made everything in the Latino melt.

“Sorry,” Frank whispered, cupped Leo’s face in his huge hands and kissed him properly. Leo sighed against his mouth, let go of his mug and leaned into Frank. It was so nice, the kiss, so slow and gentle and unlike Frank, making Leo feel like he was loved, like this wasn’t _just _sex. The guy from last night faded from his mind.

Then Frank suddenly picked him up and hoisted him up to the counter, settling between Leo’s legs and kissing him harder, and suddenly all Leo wanted was to have sex with him, to forget this horrible longing within him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, curling his legs around Frank’s waist and pulling the man against him. Their erections pressed together and Leo ran his hands greedily through Frank’s messy bed-head, “For going off on you yesterday, I-“

Frank kissed him passionately, silencing him, and Leo was shocked at how _right _this felt. He and Frank had always been a big awkward around each other and yet now, with the man’s big hands gripping his hips, it felt like they were meant to be together.

“I don’t want to hear about that guy,” Frank growled, and then attacked Leo’s neck, immediately sucking a hickey just beneath his jaw.

“_Ah- _wait!” Leo gasped, “N-Not there, it’ll be too visible!”

“Good,” Frank snarled and looked at his work, smirking when he saw a bruise forming on Leo’s tanned skin. There was something animalistic about him, something raw and beast-like, and Leo shivered in anticipation.

Frank didn’t disappoint, brutishly pulling off Leo’s pyjama bottoms.

“Hey!” Leo protested and crossed his legs. Frank shoved them apart.

“Why are you always trying to hide?” he demanded, licking at Leo’s ear.

“I just...,” Leo didn’t know how to say he was insecure right now, not to Frank.

“Do you want me to prepare you?” Frank asked, hands snaking behind Leo and kneading his ass like it was pizza dough, “or did that guy’s dick do a good enough job yesterday?” the last part was a growl and Frank shoved Leo down on the counter and pulled his legs apart.

“Frank we can’t do this here,” Leo panted as Frank pulled his cock out of his sweatpants – now that Leo was sober he could appreciate its size even more, and his insides twisted with desire to be impaled by it, “Annabeth will kill us-“

“Annabeth can fuck off,” Frank barked and, as if to prove that point, reached for the girl’s olive oil, innocently standing on the counter. Leo’s eyes widened.

“Frank _don’t,” _he said, but Frank was already drizzling said olive oil onto his dick. It was so comical that Leo started to laugh, “Oh my God, that’s _gross-“_

Frank shoved his cock inside him and Leo’s sentence ended on a loud, startled moan because _holy shit, _Frank’s dick just slid right inside him, forcing its way inside as if it belonged there. A string of curses poured out of Leo’s mouth as Frank stared at him intensely.

It’s like he _wanted _to wait for Leo to adjust, but couldn’t quite bring himself to because the next thing Leo knew was that Frank was pounding into him so violently that Leo would have slid off the counter if the man was gripping his thighs.

“F-Fuck!” Leo cried out, hand splayed against Frank’s chest, “N-Not so fast- _oh God, _f-fuck, Frankie, Frank...w-wait..._nghh...”_

But Frank didn’t wait, continuing to plough Leo with abandon, and the Latino couldn’t believe that they were having sex again. Leo’s back arched off the counter, he choked on a moan, squeezed his eyes shut. There was no Hazel to keep Frank in check, and he went all out, though Leo didn’t mind all that much, revelling in the burn and all the bruises he would have decorating his hips tomorrow as wonderful reminders of what was happening right now.

Suddenly Frank’s hand was on his throat and he pinned the Latino to the counter, and he looked _mad. _His thrusts stilled suddenly but he left his cock sheathed completely in Leo as they both panted, sweat beading on their bodies and probably contaminating everything edible in the kitchen.

“Do you like when Hazel does it more?” Frank demanded, and Leo looked at him in confusion, “Do you even _want _me to do this, or is it only okay when she’s here?” He didn’t seem mad at Hazel, and there was a longing for her in his voice, but he also seemed...hurt?

“What are you talking about?” Leo panted.

Frank’s eyebrows knit together, “Was that guy from yesterday better?” he asked hoarsely, and he definitely sounded upset.

“No!” Leo spluttered, “What the hell Frank, you’re-,” Leo bit his tongue before he could say the word _perfect. _Instead he grabbed Frank by the hoodie and pulled him down for a kiss, “Keep going,” he whispered, “please?”

Frank shoved him back down and continued to thrust into him and Leo felt like he was drowning in pleasure. Then, out of the blue, Frank intertwined their fingers together and pressed them to the counter. It wa so tender and unexpected that Leo felt like crying, but instead he came all over himself and then Frank pulled his cock out and added to the mess on Leo’s pyjama top with his own semen.

They stood there, panting, and the front door opened.

“I’m home!” Hazel called cheerfully and Frank’s face lit up.

“Haze!” he pulled his sweatpants back up and ran out of the kitchen to greet his girlfriend.

Leo blinked at the kitchen ceiling, feeling like a dirty come rag. He could hear Frank and Hazel’s excited voices in the hallway and tears welled up in his eyes.

Why had he thought it’d be different this time?

He slipped off the counter, aching, and dashed to his room before either of them could see the state he was in.

***

Leo was a mess; he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, he cried all the time. He couldn’t look at Hazel and Frank, much less talk to them. Somehow he felt like he had been reduced to a sex doll, and yet every time the couple came to him he’d sleep with them, only to feel like shit afterwards.

He had to end it for the sake of his mental state, but he didn’t know how to – the moments with the couple were so intoxicating, and it was so easy for him to convince himself that he was loved when they both held him and kissed him but it was a mirage.

That’s why, when a week into April Hazel cornered him in the living-room, he decided to tell her. It was a dark early evening and everyone else was at the library and Leo had happened to cross through the living-room to go to the kitchen, when Hazel rose from the couch.

“Leo,” she said, and he froze, “Can we talk.”

“Uh...I’m kinda busy, my robot’s almost done...”

“Leo,” she said sternly, “come here.”

He couldn’t disagree with her, and so he dragged himself over to the couch, avoiding eye-contact. Would she want him to fuck her again? Or do some other stuff...excitement buzzed in him and he hated himself for wanting it.

Instead Hazel took his hand, “Me and Frank have been trying to talk to you for a while,” she said tenderly, and Leo trembled, “But you’re avoiding us.”

“I’m not avoiding you,” he squeaked.

“We need to tell you something important, Frank will be back soon...”

Dread filled Leo’s stomach. _This is it, _he thought, _they’re ending it. _Tears filled his eyes and he flinched away from Hazel, and she noticed his expression.

“Hey,” she looked alarmed, “hey, why are you crying?”

“I-I’m not!” Leo lied and wiped a tear from his eye. Hazel pulled him into a kiss, and he submitted to her the way he always did. She shoved him onto the couch.

“I don’t want you to cry,” she said and pulled off her shirt and kissed him again, and he accepted her, opening his arms. They kissed, and he kept crying, knowing this could be the last time.

They ended up entangled in each other’s arms, just in their pants, and that’s how Piper found them.

“_What the hell?!” _she screamed, and the two jumped apart so quickly that Hazel fell off. Leo’s eyes widened when he saw the shocked girl standing in the doorway, mouth open.

“Piper, it’s not what it looks like,” he blurted, standing up.

“Leo! Hazel!” Piper gasped, “How could you?! What is wrong with you?!”

“No!” Hazel said immediately, “It’s not like that-“

“Don’t tell me you _wanted _this?!” Piper was horrified, “What about poor Frank-“

Leo was taking steps back, feeling like he was going to be sick. The disgust in Piper’s eyes made everything so much more real; what _was _he doing? Maybe she was right, maybe Frank would be mad if he found out...

“What’s going on?” as if summoned by Leo’s thoughts, Frank appeared in the doorway behind Piper. The girl whirled around.

“Frank, I’m so sorry, you shouldn’t have to find out like that-“

Frank blinked at the half-naked duo, then slipped past Piper and casually walked up to Hazel.

“Hey,” he kissed her on the mouth and she smiled, “We have a perfectly good bed, y’know.”

“Says you,” she relaxed visibly now that he was here, her comfort, and smacked his arm playfully.

Then Frank walked up to Leo.

“Don’t look so scared,” he whispered so only the boy could hear, gently touched his hip and also kissed him on the mouth.

Piper’s shoulders slumped and she blinked, “Oh,” she said, and looked from Hazel, to Frank, to Leo, then back to Hazel, “So is this like a...,” she gestured between them, “like a throuple situation.”

Hazel laughed sheepishly, “Uh, something like that.”

Piper exhaled, “Oh thank God. For a moment I really thought you were cheating on Frank,” she smiled, “Good, well. He’s right – you have a perfectly good bed.”

Then she walked to the kitchen as if nothing happened. Leo gaped after her – was it that easy? Was he missing something?

He stepped away from Frank, “I’ll be in my room.”

“No, Leo-“

But the Latino was already dashing into his room, and slamming the door shut – except Frank caught said door and forced it open easily, pushing Hazel into the room and forcing himself in behind her, slamming the door.

Leo felt cornered all of a sudden.

“I don’t wanna hear it,” he said, eyes wet.

“Why are you crying?” Frank panicked, “Shit, Leo-“

Leo hugged himself and shook his head. He didn’t know what he wanted – for it to end, or for it to go on forever...tears spilled down his cheeks.

“I-I know what you guys are going to s-say.”

Hazel and Frank exchanged a look, “You really don’t...”

“Leo,” Hazel stepped towards him and he backed up until his legs hit the bed and there was nowhere for him to go. She grabbed his hands, and she was still shirtless, and he could barely focus, “Leo, we’re in love with you.”

The world came to a comical stop, with a record scratch. Leo blinked.

“W-What?”

Hazel smiled, “We want you to be with us. _Properly _with us. As in, in this relationship.”

She squeezed his hands and Leo glanced at Frank, “A-Are you serious? You too?”

Frank nodded and came closer, and Hazel released one of Leo’s hands so Frank could take it. The boy didn’t understand.

“I love you,” Frank said, “It feels weird to say it, but it’s true.”

Leo pulled his hands free, “No,” he whispered. Frank’s shoulders slumped and Hazel looked like someone had slapped her. She turned to her boyfriend.

“I told you,” she whispered, “I told you he didn’t want us-“

“No,” Leo said immediately, “I _do, _I love you guys,” he was shocked by the fierceness in his voice, “I-I just...,” Leo hugged himself, tried not to look as pathetic as he felt, “I can’t be second best,” he squeezed his eyes shut, “I-I know that sounds really shitty because you guys are a couple and love each other but...but I can’t be the third, forgotten one,” tears sprung to his eyes, “I’m always the seventh wheel, I can’t...I just want to be _the _one, and I love you guys both so, so much, but I can’t do this.”

Frank grabbed him and crushed him against his chest, “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” he whispered feverishly, then kissed Leo fiercely, “You have no idea, you’re such an idiot...you...”

“Hey,” Hazel slid between them, and Frank looked agitated, “It’s okay,” she looked at Leo, “What Frank is trying to say is that you wouldn’t be a third wheel. You’d be just as part of this relationship as me and him. I know you’ve been hurt before, and you might not believe us, but...,” she kissed his cheek, “If you love us too why not try.”

Leo exhaled, the tears were still there, but so was the warmth in his chest, “I-I guess it doesn’t hurt to try,” he whispered.


	11. A Six-Pack of Beer (Will x Nico)

**Solangelo dealing with toxic manhood. Like, Will is a person who heals, sings, and does these things. And he, to be with Nico, would like to be more robust. And he tries to act like a son of Ares to impress Nico, to the whole Campus nightmare that wants Will the way he is.  
For Dario**

** **

It was fine.

It was fine, and then, one day it suddenly wasn’t.

The young, newfound love and relationship budding between one son of Hades and a certain son of Apollo, from an outside view seemed pretty clear. Will Solace was popular, handsome, tall, friendly, everyone adored him and nobody ever said a bad thing about him. Nico di Angelo, on the other hand, was only a recently respected addition to the camp, with people still fearing him and whispering about him behind his back – _ugh he’s so scrawny, how is he one of the most powerful Demigods _and _he’s so gloomy and depressed, how does Will put up with it? _and _why doesn’t he just wear normal clothes like the rest of us..._and so, from an outsiders perspective, it would be understandable if Nico was the insecure one in the relationship; he was younger, shorter and scrawnier, was generally less liked.

And yet Nico didn’t give a fuck. He had not gone through Tartarus to be bothered by stupid camp gossip.

Will on the other hand...Will was a bit useless, in all honesty, save for his medicine. He had a decent singing voice but nothing in comparison to his siblings and, unlike them, he couldn’t play a musical instrument – whenever he shot an arrow from a bow it had more chances of landing him another patient in the infirmary than hitting its target, and he held a sword as if it were a kitchen knife. What Will lacked in battle-skills he made up in bravery, kindness and selflessness, but as he got older and finally mustered up the courage to ask Nico out, he realised it was not enough.

Nico had confessed to Will that for many years he had crushed on Percy, the most handsome and arguably one of the most ‘manly’ guys at Camp, next to whom Will was just a lanky, sunburnt medic. Will was also very aware that Nico had spent a lot of time with other muscular, handsome guys like Frank and Jason, and...he couldn’t help but feel inadequate. Hearing about the stories of what Nico did during both wars always awed him and made him feel like all he did was put plasters on people and it’s not like he _minded, _no, in fact he was incredibly proud of his boyfriend’s bravery. But how in the fuck was he supposed to protect Nico from nightmares and bad memories and enemies if he was so unmanly, and useless?

The straw that finally broke the camel’s back was, in hindsight, a really stupid scene that didn’t mean anything. Will had come out of the infirmary after a long shift and headed for the Hades cabin to see his boyfriend when he did just that – he saw Nico leaning against the wall of the Ares cabin, arms crossed over his chest, eyebrow raised as Frank Zhang chatted to him animatedly. Frank’s muscles bulged, he towered over Nico like a tree, and Will suddenly felt like he wasn’t good enough, like he wasn’t muscular and manly and hot enough. His stomach twisted with jealousy and insecurity and he hung back in the shadows. It was stupid – Frank was Nico’s sister’s boyfriend after all...but in that moment Will decided he would be like the children of Ares, that he would be strong enough and manly enough that Nico would never fall out of love with him.

***

“What do you mean he’s not here?” Nico asked, puzzled. Kayla looked up from where she was looking through patient documents and shrugged.

“He asked me to take his shift and said something about the training pit.”

Nico’s eyebrows shot into his hairline because his boyfriend didn’t mention that to him and Nico _always _picked him up from work on Wednesdays, “Riiiight...he’s never gone to the pit before,” he tried to get some more information out of Will’s sister but the girl just shrugged, clearly preoccupied.

Nico sighed and walked out onto the amber-lit steps leading to the infirmary and looked out at the strawberry fields, bathed in sunset light. The fifteen year old puffed his cheeks out in frustration and stomped down the steps, heading for the pits. Recently Will had been acting a bit odd, and Nico didn’t know why, he just knew Will rarely had business in the fighting pits unless he was pulling the injured out.

That’s why it came as a shock to the son of Hades when he saw that his boyfriend was not, in fact, pulling wounded demigods out of the pits but was rather inside, sword in hand, clumsily hacking at a dummy. Nico’s jaw dropped to the floor and the vicious way Will was attacking his opponent, because as far as the Italian was concerned, Will was a pacifist and wouldn’t hurt a fly.

“Will!” Nico called entering the pit, and making his boyfriend stop mid-hack, “What are you doing?!”

“Oh!” Will wiped sweat off his forehead and leaned against the dummy in a way that he probably thought looked charming, “Nico, long time no see.”

Nico stopped in front of him, “What are you _wearing?” _he asked, because the son of Apollo was in an atrocious black tank-tops that revealed his skinny, freckly arms, and boxing shorts, like he was one of those gym-lads Nico hated.

The blond shrugged nonchalantly, “Clothes. I’ve just come down to let off some steam.”

“Steam?” Nico was still in shock, “What happened to letting off steam with a tub of ice-cream and some rom-coms?”

“I’m not a _girl, _Nico,” Will rolled his eyes, “This is how real men let off steam,” he patted the dummy.

“I don’t let off steam like that.”

Will blinked, then blushed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “W-Well yeah, I mean, you’re definitely a real man, I-I just meant...,” he spluttered.

Nico rolled his eyes, “Whatever, you should’ve told me you were here I was looking for you at the infirmary.”

“Right,” Will looked like a deflated balloon as he tossed his wooden sword back into the box where they were held, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. He followed Nico out of the pit gloomily, and the Italian kept glancing at him.

“What’s with the dark cloud hanging over your head?” he asked, nudging Will with his elbow.

“It’s nothing,” the blond grumbled, “Honestly,” he stopped, “I’m pretty tired, I think I’m gonna hit the pillows.”

“But...,” Nico was confused, “It’s pizza night. You never skip pizza night.”

“Yeah, well,” Will paused, and clearly thought for a second, before saying, “fuck pizza night,” and walking off towards the Apollo cabin.

Nico’s heart clenched as he watched his boyfriend go, and he was horrified; Will never swore and he was always kind and gentle, yet something was clearly wrong. If Nico didn’t have so much pride he probably would’ve run after his boyfriend but instead he bit back his hurt and stormed off to his own cabin.

***

The seven, Will and Nico gathered in the Hades cabin for their bi-weekly drinking session during which they got smuggled booze from the Hermes kids, sat around, drank, ate snacks and played games. It was a way for all of them to spend time together away from the fan-clubs that had formed for several of them after the war.

It was all the way it usually was; Annabeth had a bottle of vodka, Hazel was drinking wine, Piper, Leo and Percy rum, and Jason and Frank beer, all sat in a circle on the floor. Nico was, of course, sitting next to Will, their knees touching, and was startled when instead of pulling out a bottle of rosé wine, as he always did, Will hauled out a six-pack of beer from his backpack.

Nico blinked – he himself rarely drank since he was only fifteen, but he had never seen his boyfriend drink beer in his life.

“Uh...are you drinking that?” Frank seemed just as confused as Nico, blinking at Will’s six-pack. The blond shrugged.

“Yeah, problem?” he asked.

“No,” Frank was puzzled, then shrugged, “I was just asking.”

“Wine’s for girls,” Will proclaimed. The eyes of his friends widened and they all exchanged glances.

“Well,” Piper said, “that’s a bit generalizing, don’t you think,” she laughed awkwardly.

“It’s true,” Will shrugged and opened one of the cans, “girls drink wine, men drink beer, am I right Jason?”

“Uh...dunno bout that, buddy,” Jason looked uncomfortable. They all looked uncomfortable. Nico pulled Will close to him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he hissed in his ear, and Will just shrugged him off. Nico didn’t understand – his boyfriend was acting like a douchey stranger. Thankfully a game of blackjack ensued, and Will’s comments were quickly forgotten.

The night progressed pleasantly enough, with only one or two snide comments from Will that everyone seemed to blame on alcohol. As everyone got progressively drunker, Nico looked over them with his sober eye and ensured nobody would get sick.

“I need a piss,” Will proclaimed suddenly, just after midnight, and stood up, swaying. Percy laughed.

“Since when do you say ‘piss?’”

“Shut up, Percy,” Will snapped at him. Percy looked taken aback and the blond stumbled to the bathroom. The moment the door shut behind him, everyone leaned in.

“Nico, what’s going on with him?” Hazel asked, worried.

Nico shrugged, “I don’t know, he’s been super weird the past two weeks. I hope it’s just a phase,” he sighed, “because it’s really irritating.”

“Why don’t you get him some water?” Annabeth offered, “Think he’s had too much to drink,” she looked at the crushed up, finished cans of beer on the floor. There were six. Nico nodded and stood up, heading for the little kitchen nestled in the corner of the cabin. He poured some water into a glass and headed back, but Will intercepted him before he could reach the group. They bumped into each other just a few feet away from the circle.

“Hey,” Will smiled at Nico, the way he always did, so softly and gently, and Nico smiled back as warmth filled his chest.

“Hey,” he offered the glass to his boyfriend, “I got you some water.”

“Tha-,” Will started reaching for it, then his expression darkened, “What the fuck, Neeks?” he demanded, “You telling me I’m too drunk?”

“You did finish your beer...”

Will scoffed, “I’m a _man, _I can handle it.”

Nico rolled his eyes, irritated, “Whatever. I’ll put it on the floor for you,” he moved past the blond, and Will slapped his ass.

Nico froze, the rest of the group froze. Embarrassment flooded the Italian and he felt a blush rising to his cheeks – Will had never _ever _done something like that; Nico was fifteen and very open with his boyfriend that he wasn’t anywhere near ready being sexual with him. They only ever kissed and cuddled, and that was all done very softly and lovingly.

_This_ made Nico feel thoroughly uncomfortable, especially since Will had done it in front of everyone, as if Nico was a piece of meat. The Italian whirled on his boyfriend.

“Drink the fucking water,” he shoved the glass at the blond. Will just smirked in a very unsettling way.

“What?” he slurred, “You don’t like that?”

“Alright,” Frank jumped to his feet, ready to defend his future brother-in-law, “Buddy why don’t we take a walk?”

“Sure!” Will said cheerfully, “We can have a little heart-to-heart, man-to-man.”

“Sure,” Frank replied, frowning.

Nico exhaled in relief when they left and slumped against the sink. The scene had made everyone sober up. Hazel came up to him and pulled him into her arms, “You okay?” she asked her brother gently.

Nico shrugged and blinked back tears, “I don’t know why he’s acting like that.”

“That was out of order,” Annabeth fumed, “I’ll give him a piece of my mind tomorrow.”

“It’s just so unlike him,” Piper shook her head, lost in thought, “He’s always so sweet and kind.”

“Whatever it is, he best sort it out soon,” Annabeth grumbled.

***

Will sheepishly apologised for his behaviour the next day and said he had been too drunk, and Nico forgave him, thinking they were past this whole weird macho-man thing Will had going on.

Boy, was he wrong.

Nico had invited Will over for movie-night, which they held in the Hades cabin often, only to fall asleep tangled up in each other’s arms. But this time was different.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ played on Nico’s TV and the Italian inched closer to his boyfriend, who was laying back, arms behind his head in a position that couldn’t have been comfortable.

“Want some of the blanket?” Nico asked, shivering under the duvet.

“Nah,” Will threw back, “I’m fine.”

Nico inched closer and slid an arm around his waist, resting his head on Will’s shoulder. The blond smirked but didn’t move.

“This is stupid,” he said suddenly, “Why don’t we watch something gory? Like Cabin in the Woods or something.”

Nico frowned, “You hate horror movies.”

“No, I don’t,” Will scoffed, “I love them, I love the adrenaline rush.”

“I want to watch the Pirates,” Nico mumbled.

“Fine, whatever.”

The Italian tried to focus on the movie but couldn’t. There was a terrible feeling in his gut and he was fighting back tears. It was like Will wasn’t even his boyfriend anymore. _What if he’s fallen out of love with me? _the terrible thought passed through the Italian’s head.

“Why aren’t you cuddling me?” he blurted in panic.

Will _actually _kissed his teeth, like some kind of wannabe-gangster, “Don’t tell me you’re scared of the tentacle-man.”

Nico rolled his eyes and pulled away, annoyed, “No, I’m not,” he snapped. He sat for the majority of the movie with his arms crossed over his chest, grinding his teeth in anger. But as the movie drew to a close, the anger evaporated, and Nico kept glancing at Will. He loved him so much.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Will glanced at him, then back at the TV, “Mhmmm,” he replied.

Nico’s hands clenched in the sheets and he fought tears for the umpteenth time that week. Maybe he was right, maybe Will didn’t love him anymore...

***

The infirmary was crowded, with the Apollo kids running around and treating injured campers from Capture the Flag, and when Nico walked in he saw the chaos. He grabbed Austin by the arm as the boy rushed past.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

“Ask your boyfriend,” Austin snapped, “His arm got slashed, he refused to treat it and refused to treat anyone else, calling everyone ‘sissies.’”

Nico’s eyes widened, “He _what?” _he choked out.

Austin shook his head, “He’s in the training pits man, maybe you can talk some fucking sense into him.”

Nico shadowtravelled to the pits, he was _that _mad. And sure enough, Will was hacking away at a dummy, the sleeve of his t-shirt soaked in blood, an expression of determination on his face.

“What the _fuck _Will?!” Nico demanded, stepping out of the shadows. The blond looked startled, and then worried.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to shadowtravel-,” he started, then stopped himself.

“Why aren’t you at the infirmary?! You’re _hurt!”_

“I’m fine,” Will rolled his eyes, “I can handle it,” he smiled and dropped his sword, “C’mere,” he said, surprising Nico as he pulled him close and kissed him. Nico melted a little – maybe Will _did _love him after all.

The blond wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist and started to kiss him a little more passionately, shoving his tongue into Nico’s mouth, but honestly the Italian wasn’t in the mood for that in the moment. When Will reached down and squeezed his ass, he shoved his boyfriend away.

“_Stop it!” _he yelled.

“Stop what, babe?” Will looked confused.

Just then Percy appeared, storming into the pit, “Will!” he exclaimed, “Dude there’s like a million hurt campers in the infirmary, they’re overwhelmed without you!”

“Mind you own business, Percy,” Will snapped. Percy approached him, angry.

“Dude, I don’t know what’s going on with you but you better sort it out-“

Suddenly Will was all up in Percy’s face, almost nose-to-nose. Nico froze in horror.

“You want a fucking fight?” Will snarled, “We can fucking fight.”

Percy backed away, “Woah, man, that’s not what I meant-“

“Ah, you’re scared, what a little sissy-“

“Enough!” Nico shouted, and both the boys looked at him. His eyes were wet with tears, he was _horrified. _This was not who he had fallen in love with.

“That’s it,” Nico said, voice trembling. He looked at Will, “we’re done. I’m breaking up with you.”

The blond’s entire demeanour changed, and suddenly he was the vulnerable, soft guy that Nico had fallen in love with, “W-What?” he asked, taking a step towards Nico. The Italian backed away.

“I’m fucking done, I don’t want to be with you if this is how you’re going to act,” he said, then shadowtravelled the hell out of there before he burst into tears in front of the two.

***

Will knocked on the door of the Hades cabin twenty minutes later, but there was no reply.

“Nico?” he called softly, cracking the door open, heart heavy, “Can I come in?”

“No,” came the muffled reply, “Go away.”

Will didn’t listen, slipping into the cabin and shutting the door behind him. The curtains were drawn and in the gloomy light Nico was just a lump under the covers. Will walked to the bed, hesitated, then sat down on the edge.

“Hey,” he said.

“I told you to go a-away,” Nico sounded like he had been crying.

“I-I just...,” Will took a deep breath, feeling like he was going to puke, “Did you mean what you said? Y-You really want to break up with me?”

“Yes.”

Tears gathered in Will’s eyes, “Fuck I knew it.”

Nico sat up, “What do you mean?!” he fumed, hair sticking up in all directions, “If you knew then why the fuck did you behave like that?”

“I tried to change,” Will whispered, burying his face in his hands, “I tried to be manly like Percy and Jason, and I-I just...I guess it didn’t work...”

Nico looked puzzled, “You what?”

“Seeing you with them, I just...I felt like I wasn’t good enough, like you’d break up with me because I was all like, healing and music and I wasn’t a hero or anything-“

“What?” Nico didn’t understand, “Why would you think that?”

Will shrugged, “Well, it’s true though, right? You don’t want to be with me...”

Nico grabbed his arm and forcefully turned the blond to face him, “I don’t want to be with you when you’re like _this,” _he gushed, “All douchey and annoying and toxic.”

“Toxic?” Will frowned.

“You’re acting like a son of Ares, but on _steroids,” _realisation dawned on Nico, “Did you think I wanted you to be like this? To smack my ass, and not say ‘I love you’ back to me, and drink beer and be aggressive?”

Will opened his mouth, closed it again, cringed, “When you put it like that...”

Nico wrapped his arms around Will’s neck and hugged him, “I love you,” he said fiercely, “I love you just the way you are. I don’t want Percy, or Jason, or anyone else. I want you, and your goofy jokes and your soft hands and your wine drinking. I want you to tell me you love me, and cuddle me, and be really cheesy.” He sighed, “You _are _manly enough, you’re perfect, I don’t want you to change.”

“Oh,” Will exhaled, “Oh, well I’ve messed this all up, haven’t I?”

“No,” Nico pressed their foreheads together, “No, no, it’s fine,” he kissed him softly, “You just have to apologise to Perce, and it’ll be fine and-“

“S-So we’re not broken up?” Will asked hopefully.

“No, you idiot.”

Will pulled him into a crushing hug, “Gods, I love you so much, Neeks, you’ve got no idea,” he showered Nico’s face in kisses and the Italian laughed, relieved, “I’m so goddamn sorry.”

“I love you too.”

“I love you more,” Will eskimo-kissed Nico. The Italian giggled, then Will’s eyes widened, “Shit! The kids at the infirmary-“

“Calm down,” his boyfriend said, “Let’s treat your shoulder first.”

“Yeah,” Will winced, “It hurts like a bitch. Also, for the record, I hate beer. Unless it has lemonade in it.”


	12. JASON (Jason x Leo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the first part is pretty much from the 'Lost Hero' and I tried to keep the dialogue unchanged. Credits to Rick Riordan for dat good shit.

**Instead of Piper, Jason wakes and falls in love with Leo? And then flash ahead to when Leo gets back (He and calypso aren't dating, duh. Just ignore ToA) and then cute stuff happens, idk  
for Midnight Bunny**

** **

He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, sitting next to a girl he didn’t know. That wasn’t so bad; the girl wasn’t repulsive or anything, in fact, she was quite cute, but Jason couldn’t figure out what either of them were doing on the bus.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think as he looked at the few dozen kids messing about in the seats in front of him. They all looked fifteen or sixteen...so, his age?

Jason frowned, heart clenching. He didn’t like that, he really didn’t like that. Why didn’t he know his own age? When was his birthday...why was he on this fucking bus that was currently bumping around a random desert road that looked like something out of ‘Wrong Turn?’ Did he live in the desert? _Shit, _he couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember anything. Panic gripped his throat.

“Jason,” the girl next to him spoke, a look of concern on her face. Her eyes seemed to shift colour like a kaleidoscope, “you okay?”

_Who are you? _Jason wracked his brain for brunettes in hiking boots but came up with nothing, “Um, I don’t—” he started, but was interrupted by a teacher at the front of the bus.

“All right, cupcakes, listen up!” the five foot nothing man, obviously some sort of coach, with a baseball cap and a way too loud voice, shouted. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt.

“Stand up, Coach Hedge!” one of the students shouted.

“I heard that!” The coach roared back and his eyes fixed on Jason as if he was the culprit. Jason swallowed, genuinely terrified – any moment now the man would call him out, say he didn’t belong on this bus.

But instead Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. “We’ll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don’t lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way.”

He picked up a baseball bat in a threatening way. Jason looked at the girl next to him.

“Can he talk to us that way?” he asked.

She shrugged, “Always does. This is the Wilderness School. ‘Where kids are the animals.’” She said it like it was a joke they’d shared before and rolled her eyes.

“This is some kind of mistake,” Jason said, feeling sick, “I’m not supposed to be here.”

That’s when the boy who was sitting in front of him turned around to face him. Jason hadn’t noticed him before because he was so short he was barely visible, and honestly the blond had been a little pre-occupied with freaking out. But now his eyes widened and his heart twisted and for a second he forgot all about his terrible situation because _fuck _if the girl next to him was cute, then this guy was gorgeous.

He had elfish features that gave him a perpetual look of mischief, a mass of brown curls and eyes like chocolate cookies, with a smirk that made Jason’s heart beat a little faster. He smiled at the blond with an ease that indicated that they were friends, and yet Jason couldn’t remember him.

“Yeah, right, Jason,” the boy laughed and Jason’s heart squeezed again when he heard the boy say his name in his casual drawl, “We’ve all been framed! I didn’t run away six times. Piper didn’t steal a BMW.”

“I didn’t steal that car, Leo!” the girl protested. _Her name’s Piper, _Jason told himself, but all he could focus on was _Leo. _That was his name. It suited him. Jason felt a blush rising to his cheeks but neither Piper or Leo noticed as the boy continued to tease her.

“Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You ‘talked’ the dealer into lending it to you?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively at Jason and the blond wanted to agree with anything the boy said.

Anyway,” he continued, and Jason watched his fingers as they moved constantly; drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Jason couldn’t look away from the hyperactive kid, there was something absolutely captivating about him that made Jason feel as if they were in this together, that Leo had his back even though Jason had no memory of him. “I hope you’ve got your worksheet, ’cause I used mine for spit wads days ago,” he laughed, then finally noticed that Jason was staring at him. His smile faded a little and he looked a little nervous, “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, then tucked a curl behind his ear in a way that was just so _ugh, _and made Jason want to do very inappropriate things to him, “Somebody draw on my face again?”

“I don’t know you,” Jason blurted, as if reminding himself of the fact.

Leo gave him a crocodile grin. “Sure. I’m not your best friend. I’m his evil clone.”

_Best friend?_

“Leo Valdez!” Coach Hedge yelled from the front. “Problem back there?”

Leo winked at Jason, and the blond melted a little inside, “Watch this,” he turned to the front. “Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?”

Pleased, Coach Hedge unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader’s, sending the kids on the bus into hysterics. Confused, the coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: “The cow says moo!”

“Valdez!”

Piper stifled a laugh. “My god, Leo. How did you do that?”

Leo shrugged nonchalantly and produced a little screwdriver from his sleeve, “I’m a special boy.”

“Guys, seriously,” Jason was starting to freak out again – the casual way Piper and Leo were speaking to him made no sense. “What am I doing here? Where are we going?”

Piper finally looked a little worried, “Jason, are you joking?”

“No!” Jason exclaimed, voice cracking, “I have no idea—”

“Aw, yeah, he’s joking,” Leo said with an eye roll, “He’s trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren’t you?”

Jason stared at him blankly.

“No, I think he’s serious.” Piper whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Jason could feel a panic attack fast-approaching and now Leo looked concerned too, “I don’t—I can’t—”

“That’s it!” Coach Hedge yelled from the front. “The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!” The rest of the kids cheered.

“There’s a shocker,” Piper muttered. But Leo kept his eyes on Jason, his worry clear on his beautiful features. Jason wanted to hug him, somehow knew it would make him feel better.

“Did you hit your head or something? You really don’t know who we are?” Piper questioned him.

Jason shrugged helplessly. “It’s worse than that. I don’t know who I am.”

Leo reached out and grasped his shoulder and a shock of warmth went through Jason like he had been electrocuted, and Leo’s warm eyes staring into his seemed to say _it’s going to be okay. _

The bus stopped and dropped them at a building that looked like a museum that just stood in the middle of the desert. Jason hadn’t paid much attention to what he was wearing, but with the cold wind blowing over the desert his jeans, sneakers, purple T-shirt, and thin black windbreaker didn’t seem nearly warm enough. He hovered near Leo, who seemed to radiate both a bizarre warmth as well as comfort.

“So, a crash course for the amnesiac,” Leo said, in a helpful tone that made Jason think this was not going to be helpful. “We go to the ‘Wilderness School’”—Leo made air quotes with his fingers. “Which means we’re ‘bad kids.’ Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prison—sorry, ‘boarding school’—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on ‘educational’ field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat,” he leaned in close and peered at Jason like he was an interesting science experiment. He smelled like cinnamon, and Jason wanted to kiss him, “Is it all coming back to you now?”

“No,” Jason managed to choke out.

Leo rolled his eyes. “You’re really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We’re totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—”

“Leo!” Piper snapped.

“Fine,” Leo rolled his eyes. He did that a lot, and it was adorable, “Ignore that last part. But we _are_ friends. We-,” he blushed suddenly and stopped whatever he was going to say. Piper snickered and Leo glared at her.

“We’re what?” Jason asked cluelessly.

“N-Nothing,” Leo stuttered, “If you’re such an amnesiac then you don’t remember what I told you when we drank that bottle of Captain Morgan’s- because it wasn’t true!” he added hurriedly, “I-I was drunk and I didn’t mean it!”

“Told me what?” Jason asked. Leo’s face burned.

“That he likes-,” Piper started.

“L-Like I said nothing!” Leo squeaked.

“He’s got amnesia or something,” Piper sighed, “We’ve got to tell somebody.”

Leo scoffed, and tucked a curl behind his ear again. He had really small hands, that Jason wanted to hold. The blond was constantly torn between being completely enamoured with Leo, and completely terrified.

“Who, Coach Hedge?” Leo asked, “He’d try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head.”

The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and keeping everyone in line, and glancing at Jason every so often to scowl at him.

“Leo, Jason needs help,” Piper insisted. “He’s got a concussion or—”

“Yo, Piper,” the voice came from a new guy who looked like some bizarre version of Superman. He wedged himself between Jason and Piper, and shoved Leo to the ground. Jason’s eyes widened but Leo didn’t seem that bothered, standing up and dusting himself off, an impassive look on his face like he was used to it. Jason was in shock, “Don’t talk to these bottom-feeders. You’re my partner, remember?”

“Go away, Dylan,” Piper grumbled. “I didn’t ask to work with you.”

“Ah, that’s no way to be. This is your lucky day!” Dylan hooked his arm through hers and before she could say anything, dragged her off.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked Leo.

The boy shrugged, “I hate that guy,” he muttered darkly.

He suddenly offered Jason his arm in a weird little parody of the Dylan guy and said in a deep, funny voice, “I’m Dylan. I’m so cool, I want to date myself, but I can’t figure out how! You want to date me instead? You’re so lucky!’”

Jason snickered, despite everything. He put his arm through the Latinos, “Leo, you’re weird,” he said.

To his surprise Leo freed his arm, blushing and looking at the ground, “Yeah, you tell me that a lot,” he said quietly. Then, suddenly, he lit up, “But if you don’t remember me, that means I can reuse all my old jokes. Come on!”

Leo skipped into the museum and Jason followed him, wandering what kind of life he had been living that _this _was his best friend. He also wondered what Leo had told him that night. He desperately wished his memories would come back.

Coach Hedge’s tour was accompanied by the Darth Vader voice or random, inappropriate comments that made the students giggle but instead of paying attention to the museum, Jason paid attention to Leo who kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands busy at all times.

Jason was tempted to pull one of those little hands into his, to stop all the fiddling.

They reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.

“All right, cupcakes,” Coach Hedge announced. “You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork.”

The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.

“Man,” Leo’s face lit up like it was Christmas, “That’s pretty wicked.”

Jason had to agree.

Then he also got the unmistakable feeling he was in danger, and he pulled Leo back from the edge.

***

All this time, Jason had kept his feeling at bay. He knew he loved Leo the moment he woke up on that damned bus without his memories, and the adventure that followed only solidified that in his mind. On one of the nights on the _Argo II _Leo had confessed quietly that on the night he had mentioned during Jason’s ‘first’ day he had drunkenly admitted he like him but even then, like an idiot, Jason didn’t tell him about his own feeling - he wanted the moment to be right, away from the chaos of war.

And then Leo had died, and Jason was convinced he lost his chance. He would lie in bed and sob into his pillow with his heart hurting so much he wanted to die.

But then. But then...

“Where is he?” Jason had to fight the urge to pace as he stood next to Frank, Piper and Hazel at the head of the crowd gathered at Camp Jupiter to welcome back the resurrected hero, “He should be here.”

“Calm down,” Piper whispered to him.

The shadows cast by Terminus deepened suddenly, and out they stepped – Nico, followed by Leo.

Jason couldn’t breathe. He froze completely and looked at the boy he was in love with – in one piece, safe, as beautiful as that first day on the bus with dirty overalls and messy hair...and bruises on his arms.

Hazel broke into a run and threw herself into Leo’s arms, sobbing.

Although Piper had told Jason to calm down just seconds ago, now it was her who lost her cool as she raced after Hazel, soon to be joined by Frank. The three hugged Leo fiercely and he laughed and cracked jokes, voice brimming with emotion.

And Jason just stood there, feeling like he was dreaming. The crowd behind him cheered for the greatest hero of the war as he was showered in love and kisses from his best friends.

His chocolate eyes met Jason’s, they softened. Leo carefully extracted himself from the trio and approached the blond...and Jason was scared to blink, scared that this was all a dream and Leo would be snatched away from him once more...he was scared to touch him, scared his hand would go through the boy’s body, that he’d melt into nothing if Jason’s fingers brushed against him...

“Hey,” Leo said softly.

“Where have all these bruises come from?!” Jason blurted, focusing on the one thing he could to keep him sane, “What happened?!”

Leo grinned sheepishly, “Camp Half Blood’s revenge,” was all he said. Then he shyly opened his bruised arms, “No hug?”

_No, no, no, _Jason stepped away from him, “Uh...why don’t why go inside?” he asked. The look of hurt on Leo’s face made Jason feel sick but he _couldn’t _touch the boy, because then he’d wake up, because then the dream would be over and he’d wake up to a reality where the boy no longer existed...

They went to the Principia, where Leo was welcomed by Reyna and everyone chatted excitedly. Overwhelmed, Jason went up to his bedroom and sat on his bed, trying to stop a panic attack that threatened to overflow him. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, feeling like he was on that bus all over again, unable to distinguish dreams from reality. He wanted to cry, he wanted to hold Leo and tell him everything. He could hear people laughing downstairs and it sounded so heartbreakingly real.

“Seriously?” Leo’s voice startled Jason and the blond shot up, finding himself looking at the Latino. Leo had come up to his room and shut the door, and he looked pissed now, “I’ve been gone for _months _and you won’t even hug me?” he demanded.

“I-I...,” Jason swallowed, hands trembling, “I just can’t.”

_Now _Leo looked pissed _and _hurt, “Is this about the stupid love confession? B-Because that’s done, you know,” his voice trembled through his emotions, “I’m over you.”

Jason’s heart clenched, “Don’t say that,” he whispered.

“Oh, so what?” Leo did his adorable little eye-roll, to hide the tears in his eyes that Jason noticed again, “You want me to keep on with this stupid crush so that you can feel wanted, only for you to not even care about me enough to _welcome _me back?”

“Leo, it’s not that,” Jason said helplessly.

“Then what?” Leo snapped, fighting tears, “I _died _Jason. It was _horrible, _and scary, and this whole time all I wanted was to get back to everyone, to get back to _you, _and you’re acting like you don’t even _care _that I’m back-“

“I’m scared if I touch you, you’ll disappear!” Jason shouted, too loudly, unable to hold back.

Leo blinked, shocked, “W-What?”

Jason stared at the floor, hands in fists, “All this time I had these dreams in which you came back to me, and every morning I woke up and you wouldn’t be there. Even after we found out you were alive...,” he shook his head, wishing he could forget the nightmares, “I don’t know what’s real Leo. I don’t know if _you’re _real.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Leo’s voice cracked. He walked over to Jason, who flinched and started backing up.

“No, don’t-,” he begged helplessly, back hitting a wall. Leo roughly grabbed his hand with both of his, his skin searing Jason’s, warm and calloused.

“I’m real,” the boy said firmly, staring at Jason, who couldn’t breathe, “I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere,” his expression softened, “Jas, I’m serious, I’m-“

Jason grabbed him by the back of his head and kissed him. Leo gasped, but it was too late – Jason _knew _he was real now, could feel it, and he pulled the Latino up against him and kissed him desperately, the way he had wanted to since he woke up on the bus.

When the kiss ended Jason held Leo for a long time, refusing to let go.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Leo whispered, “I promise.”

Jason just hugged him tighter.

“I know,” he muttered, burying his face in Leo’s hair, “I just don’t want to let you go.”


	13. Christmas Spirit (Will x Nico)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long break, I had a shit ton to do but I'm baaaack  
MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL

**Nico/Will. Alternate universe where they aren't demigods and Nico has always really been into Santa Claus and even at 17 he still doesn't know he's not real (like the f*ck?)B/c he lives with Percy because his mom and sister are dead and Will, Percy and Hazel don't wanna tell him. Anyway this Christmas Nico ends up having to spend it alone b/c everyone ends up being in an accident due to a blizzard (Percy snowed in at Annabeth's, Hazel and Frank get snowed in at Leo's house, etc) and Will tells him he can't make it. So Nico is at home, alone and sad with a Christmas tree and a nerdy sweater until "Santa" (Will) bursts in shirtless asking if Nico was naughty or nice and they end up f*cking on the sofa and it's kinky as heck *blush* Uh, the end? P.s a little scene with Percy crying because Nico is alone and Annabeth knowing Will’s effed up plan  
for GwennyPenny**

** **

** _21st of December, 2018_ **

Sixteen year old Nico knelt by the fake fireplace in his flat and carefully spread out chocolate chip cookies on a plate.

“Whaaaat are you doing?” Will asked, hovering in the doorway with Percy, Nico’s eighteen year old flat-mate and brother figure who had taken care of him since they were both in their early teens, “Those cookies are for movie night.”

“No, they’re not,” Nico grumbled, then stood up and ran to the kitchen. He came back with a glass of milk and gently placed it next to the cookies. The shitty Christmas lights Nico and Percy had wrapped around an equally shitty Christmas tree they had had for over five years reflected in the glass.

Will glanced at Percy, who was hiding a smile, “Neeks, why don’t you tell Will about who the cookies are for.”

“Shut up,” Nico huffed, his ears burning red, “Stop teasing me about it.”

Percy rolled his eyes and looked at the confused Will, “Nico still believes in Santa.”

Will’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, “As in..._the _Santa?”

“Yes, _the _Santa!” Nico exploded, jumping to his feet and glaring at them, hands in fists, “I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t care! I know you think it’s childish but Santa _is _real!”

“Uh...,” Will didn’t know what to say, Nico seemed fiercely convinced, “Sure.”

“Sure?” Nico blinked, surprised as his shoulders slumped.

“Don’t encourage him,” Percy elbowed Will, “It’s a stupid story told to kids, and you know it. That fireplace is _fake, _how does he get down it?”

“He’s _magical, _Percy, jeez.”

The familiar bickering continued.

“It’s 2018, if Santa was real we’d have evidence.”

Nico’s eyes narrowed, “You believe in aliens though, don’t you.”

“W-Well yes-“

“Exactly,” Nico smirked, “and there’s no proof either.”

“There are _theories-“_

“And my theory is,” Nico interrupted, “That you’re just scared because you’ve been bad this year and you know you’ll get coal.”

“I’m done,” Percy rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, “Come watch this movie.”

“Can we watch a Christmas movie?” Will shouted after him.

“No!”

The blond turned and winked at Nico, who went bright red and averted his gaze. Will wanted to kiss him then, he’d wanted to for a while, but they were _just _friends...

“Hey,” he said softly, “Santa _is _real.”

Nico glanced at him, “You think so?” he whispered, voice hopeful. Will winked at him.

“Yup.”

** _24th of December, 2019_ **

“What do you mean you won’t make it?” Will asked into the phone precariously wedged between his cheek and shoulder as he rushed down the busy street, where desperate New Yorkers tried to make their last purchases before Christmas.

“_We just can’t, okay?” _Percy’s voice was crackly and broken up, _“It’s snowing like hell in Maine and we won’t make it back tonight.”_

Will sighed and jostled through the crowd, muscles aching from a long shift at the hospital, “So that’s you, Pipes, Annie and Jas out of the Christmas dinner.”

_“Sorry, Will,” _Percy sounded genuine. Will sighed.

“Nico will be heartbroken.”

_“I know. But you, Hazel, Nico, Leo and Frank can still have a good time, right?”_

“No,” Will said darkly, “They’re stuck in Alaska.”

“_Alaska?! When the hell did the go to Alaska?!”_

“Dunno, it was spontaneous,” Will stopped suddenly as a display in a shop caught his eye, “But they were gonna make it back before the snowstorm...,” lazy snowflakes fluttered from the clouds as a dirty plan began to form in his head. _Crazy, _he thought, _it’s too crazy, _“Hey, Perce, put Annie on the phone. I have a weird idea about how to cheer Nico up and I need to know if it’s insane.”

***

Nico sat in front of the twinkling Christmas tree in his pyjama pants and an ugly Christmas sweater, staring miserably at the tree, knees drawn to his chest.

When he was a child he spent Christmases alone – his father was always gone, and after Bianca and his mom died he didn’t have any other family...when Hades had kicked him out and Percy taken him in, the older boy promised he wouldn’t have another Christmas alone and he had kept that promise – every year Nico, Percy, Will, Leo, Annabeth, Piper, Jason and Hazel had Christmas dinner together and exchanged gifts. Except tonight, for the first time in years, they couldn’t make it...they were all snowed in...

Nico’s phone buzzed by his foot and his heart jumped when he saw it was Will calling. He scrambled for the phone and picked up clumsily, “Hello?” he asked breathlessly, heart pounding. That’s right, he wouldn’t be alone, he and Will could spend Christmas Eve together. Excitement rose in Nico’s throat – he had a huge crush on Will and the idea of spending the night alone made him both exhilarated and terrified.

“_Hey, Neeks,” _Will’s sad tone made Nico’s joy turn sour, “_Listen buddy, I’ve got bad news, I can’t make it tonight, my car broke down.”_

“O-Oh,” Nico swallowed, “Uh, that’s fine, I could just hop on the train-?”

_“No, listen, it’s a real blizzard out there. Just go to sleep and we’ll hang out tomorrow, okay?” _his tone was distant, distracted. Tears prickled Nico’s eyes but he swallowed them down – he wasn’t a kid, he was seventeen, he could handle this.

“Okay,” he forced a smiled, “U-Uh...well, merry Christmas then.”

“_Yeah, you too,” _Will said hurriedly and the line disconnected.

Nico’s hands, one holding the phone, flopped into his lap as he stared at the Christmas tree, feeling empty. He sniffled, then burst into tears, hugging himself. He was half upset that he was alone, and half that Will had been so cold. Nico was practically in love with the blond, and yet he had been shoved aside so easily...it hurt.

Eventually Nico stopped crying, his head throbbing from dehydration and his red, swollen eyes closing slowly from exhaustion. The lights on the Christmas tree blurred, and before he knew it, Nico was asleep.

***

Will let himself into the flat with a spare key, and quietly crept through the hallway, listening out for where Nico was. His plan was stupid and a little ridiculous, but he hoped it would make Nico smile at least, and make him forget the absence of their friends.

The Christmas lights were on in the living-room. Will smirked behind his beard, and jumped through the doorway, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” he proclaimed.

The only response he got was a sleepy murmur from the dark lump on the couch as it turned over and continued to sleep. Will’s shoulders slumped.

“Seriously?” he muttered to himself, “You’re _asleep?”_

Suddenly he felt really stupid. When he had seen the tacky santa clause outfit in the window of the shop he had bought it on instinct, hoping to surprise Nico, but now...Will sat on the edge of the couch, costume complete with a white beard, red santa hat and a red santa onesie, and looked at the sleeping Italian. He noticed the puffiness of his eyes and realised Nico had been crying.

“Idiot,” Will scolded himself. He shouldn’t have lied to Nico and broken his heart since he _knew _how important being with people on Christmas was.

Will reached out to roll Nico onto his back, intending to wake him up and make it all up to him somehow, but then he paused with his hand still on Nico’s arm. The boy looked really lovely in the blinking lights of the Christmas tree, hair soft and fluffy, cheeks flushed from sleep, dressed in a really ugly Christmas jumper that had reindeers on it, their noses made of pom-poms. Will smiled and touched one of the pom-poms, and then his hand slid lower and rested on Nico’s stomach. The boy was fast asleep. Will chewed on his lip, careful not to get any fake beard-hair in his mouth.

“Neeks?” he whispered, as his hand subconsciously slid lower. His finger-tips slid along the hem of Nico’s sweatpants, “Neeks, wake up,” Will murmured quietly, not actually intending for Nico to wake up.

_Just for a second, _he told himself, and slipped his fingers under Nico’s jumper, feeling his soft, warm skin against his. Unable to help himself, Will splayed his fingers over Nico’s stomach, revelling in the warmth that seeped into his cold hands – he wasn’t wearing any gloves.

Nico’s eye-lids twitched and he sighed in his sleep and Will tensed, but the Italian didn’t wake up. Another part of him did thought and Will watched with wide eyes as his sweatpants rose in the crotch area, his semi-erection visible through the material. He clearly wasn’t wearing any underwear.

Blood rushed to Will’s own dick and he found himself hovering over Nico. He knew this was wrong, that his friend’s reaction was a natural response to touch and it had nothing to do with him, that if Nico woke up and saw what Will was doing he would be disgusted, and Christmas would be ruined...and yet he couldn’t stop himself. He nudged Nico’s legs apart, settled between them, leaned over the boy. His heart throbbed as his hand slid up underneath Nico’s jumper, fingertips ghosting over his nipples.

“Wake up,” Will whispered, and kissed Nico.

What he didn’t account for was that his beard – scratchy and cheap – would get in the way, so the kiss didn’t work. What _did _work was waking Nico up because when Will pulled back, irritated and about to rip his beard off, he found a pair of dark, sleepy eyes looking up at him in dazed confusion.

The blond froze, horrified. Nico laid there, flushed and sleepy, clearly not comprehending.

“S-Santa?” he whispered, sitting up, eyebrows furrowing.

“Hello, Nico,” Will quickly found his footing. Nico’s eyes widened.

“_Santa,” _he breathed, voice filled with glee. He smiled, “I knew you were real!” his eyes landed on Will’s hand, still stuck beneath Nico’s t-shirt. The boy frowned, “But what are you...?” Will didn’t know what to say or how to excuse the fact that he had literally been molesting Nico in his sleep. He had just decided to come clean, apologise and try to salvage their friendship when Nico – who still looked like he hadn’t woken up properly – reached out and grabbed his beard. He pulled it off Will’s face, and it slid down around his neck.

Nico looked confused, a little betrayed.

“Hi,” Will cracked an awkward smile and quickly pulled his hand out from under Nico’s shirt, wanting nothing more than for the ground to swallow him up, “M-Merry Christmas.”

Nico leaned forward sleepily and kissed him. Will’s eyes bulged and he gasped, shocked. He waited for Nico to wake up, to realise that this was all a mistake, to explode. But instead Nico continued to kiss him, all sleepy and gentle with no tongue. He looped his arms around Will’s shoulders and the frozen ‘Santa’ still couldn’t move.

“You look kinda hot,” Nico murmured against his mouth, lips brushing against Will’s, “Is that weird?” his eyes stared into Will’s – he looked more awake, and not disgusted at all. In fact, arousal features prominently in his gaze. Will swallowed, feeling light-headed from the sudden rush of blood to his groin.

“No,” he breathed, and nudged Nico back into a lying-down position, still surprised at how pliant and obedient the boy was, “It’s not weird.”

Arousal took control, dispersing Will’s doubts and self-consciousness. He racked up Nico’s sweater and kissed him passionately, plunging his tongue into the boy’s mouth. Nico mewled adorably, arching up into Will like he had wanted this all along.

“Someone’s naughty,” Will said the first thing that came to his head.

“No,” Nico protested, pouty like a grumpy child, “I’ve been good all year.”

“Hmmm, that’s not what I saw,” Will pulled Nico’s sweater over his head and then pinned both of his arms above his head in one of his hands, wrists against the edge of the sofa. Nico’s pupils dilated and he spread his legs ever so more open and Will almost lost his shit, but somehow he managed to stay in his improvised character, “Your name’s on the naughty list,” he teased, dragging his lips over Nico’s neck teasingly. The boy whimpered and wrapped his legs around Will’s waist, trying to pull him closer. Will pushed his thighs back down with his free hand and made a _tut-tut-tut _sound.

“Stop that,” he whispered, “You have to be good or you won’t get any presents this year.”

Nico bit his lip and his toes curled but he remained still, looking up at Will with big eyes, “_Please,” _he breathed.

Will kissed him so hard it hurt, feverish and all tongue and teeth and pleasure mingling with pain. He couldn’t take it; having sex with Nico under normal circumstances would have already been too much for him, but this weird roleplay situation they had going on was turning Will on so much more. He could barely stop himself from just shoving his dick inside the boy.

Instead he jumped off the couch and ripped the ribbon off the closest present under the tree. Before Nico could ask where he had gone, Will was back, and he pulled the Italian’s arms behind his back and tied his wrists together with the ribbon. Nico’s eyes widened but before he could remark on the action, Will was kissing him again. Nico wrapped his legs around the blond’s waist again, as if he couldn’t stop himself, and Will took that, as well as Nico’s tongue hungrily moving against his, as a go-ahead.

They kissed for ages, just revelling in each other’s mouths, sloppy and hot and messy in the best way, the fairy lights on the tree giving the living room an intimate, loving glow. Will pressed himself between Nico’s legs and the boy happily accepted him there, and the two rocked together in an effort to give their erections as much friction as possible.

But it wasn’t enough and Will felt like he was going to explode – not in a good way – if he didn’t get more. He pulled away, which took a lot of strength, and sat back on the couch. Nico looked dazed, his mouth swollen and shining with spit. With some difficulty he also sat up.

“What is-“

Before he could finish his sentence Will smoothly unzipped his onesie, and his dick jumped out, standing to attention and not restricted by underwear. Will left the onesie on, with just his hard, leaking cock obscenely sticking out. Nico’s eyes widened and he looked like...well, a kid on Christmas.

“Why don’t you be a good boy and suck Santa’s cock?” Will said with confidence. He would later remember those words and blush and bury his face in his hands with embarrassment, but in that moment he didn’t care and Nico clearly found it hot as he jumped off the couch and knelt between Will’s legs – a big feat considering his hands were still tied.

He looked at Will’s erection and gave it a tentative little lick.

“There you go,” Will cooed and Nico preened beneath the praise as Will tucked a dark strand of his hair behind his ear and caressed his flushed cheek, nudging the boy closer, “C’mon, baby, you’re being so good.”

Nico glanced up at him, all doe-eyes and dark eyelashes, the lights behind him creating an ethereal halo around his messy hair. He didn’t break eye contact with Will as he opened his mouth and sucked on the head of the man’s cock, feigning innocence. Will’s erection jerked at the feeling.

“Fuck-!” he exclaimed and shoved Nico’s head down without thinking. The boy choked as Will’s cock slid down his throat. Nico tried to pull back but Will kept him down by the hair, “Don’t,” he growled, low and guttural and unlike him, “You can take it.”

He didn’t know what came over him but all he wanted to do was completely wreck Nico. The Italian seemed to want that too because he moaned at how aggressive Will was being and eagerly sucked the man’s cock, cheeks hollowed out. Will grabbed his cheeks and essentially started fucking the boy’s face, shoving his erection down his throat with roughness that was unlike him and Nico – after gagging the first few times – took it well, relaxing and sucking and licking in a way that was making Will’s head spin. Spit and precum ran down the Italian’s chin and neither of them cared; the rest of the world and Christmas all-together might have as well stopped existing.

“That’s a good boy,” Will panted, carding his fingers through Nico’s hair, “Such a good boy for Santa, you’ll definitely make the Nice List next year if you keep sucking me off like that.”

Nico’s response was a muffled moan. Will slumped against the couch and let go of the Italian, allowing Nico to do as he pleased – the boy continued the blowjob, sloppy and eager and Will’s eyes rolled back.

“Stop,” he gasped suddenly, feeling his orgasm rear its head. He didn’t want it to end, not yet, not like this. Nico, like the good little thing that he was, immediately released Will’s dick from his mouth with an obscenely wet sound.

“Is it okay?” he asked, voice hoarse from all the dick sucking he’d just done, “Have I been bad?"

“No,” Will’s insides felt like lava, “C’mere,” he patted his lap and Nico hurriedly climbed onto it, wrapping his arms around Will’s shoulders. The blond wanted to fuck him, but he knew if he did so now he’d come immediately. Instead he brought a hand up to Nico’s mouth and pressed his fingers against Nico’s lips. The boy eagerly sucked them in, his tongue licking around them like a hungry cat.

“Why don’t you tell Santa what you want for Christmas?” Will suggested in a whisper. His hands fluttered down from Nico’s mouth to his pyjama bottoms, his fingers slipping underneath them. Nico shivered and leaned his forehead against Will’s.

“I-I don’t know,” he stuttered as Will’s fingers found his hole and circled around it teasingly. Nico mewled and shifted closer, pressing his clothed erection against Will’s. The blond licked his lips, the sight of a tied-up, helpless Nico making all the right places feel hot.

“Come on now,” Will kissed Nico’s neck, then bit it playfully, “You should tell Santa.”

He pushed a finger into Nico. The boy cried out, flinched, and Will didn’t give him time to adjust, just started to thrust it in and out of him.

“Come on,” he said innocently, “Santa’s waiting.”

Nico dropped his head to Will’s shoulder, shivering, “I-I...u-um...s-so...,” he was breathless, moany, his fingers clenched around the ribbon that kept his wrists tied together, “I-I think I want-“

Will unceremoniously shoved two more fingers inside him. Nico choked on a sob, his fingers dug into Will’s shoulders.

“W-Wait, Will, p-please-,” there were tears in his eyes, his face was red, he was the most gorgeous thing on the planet.

He tried to inch back but Will pulled him flush against himself and continued to finger him roughly.

“Don’t be shy now,” he sloppily kissed Nico’s wet mouth as the boy moaned and cried and trembled helplessly, “You should be used to this, you’ve been such a naughty boy all year. Such a little slut.”

Nico shook his head feverishly, “I-I haven’t!” he promised, writhing on Will’s hand, “I-I’ve been good, Santa, I promise-“

“Don’t lie to me,” Will growled, twisting his fingers inside the boy and thoroughly enjoying how flustered Nico was getting, “Tell me what you want, boy, the _truth.”_

Nico whimpered and blushed even harder, “Y-You,” he said shakily.

Will shoved his fingers deep inside Nico and the boy’s back arched as he choked on air, “That’s not very specific, is it now?”

“Y-Your cock,” Nico choked out.

Will almost lost his character for a moment as his dick twitched with desire, but he managed to control himself long enough to lift Nico up, pull his trousers down to his ankles, and push him down onto his jutting-up erection.

“Wait-,” Nico gasped as gravity did its job, forcing him to sink down onto Will’s dick, “Wait, _fuck-_ah!”

“There you go,” Will pushed him down, his own toes curling at the sensation of being enveloped by Nico’s body; it was so much better than the boy’s mouth, “Good boy, there’s your present for this year you little slut.”

Nico was shaking, “O-Oh God,” he moaned, “F-Fuck, that’s so good-“

Will but his shoulder and grabbed two greedy handfuls of Nico’s ass in his hands, “Watch your fucking mouth,” he growled and lifted Nico up so he could slam up into him. Nico cried out and clung onto Will, thighs trembling, “You say your prayers with that mouth?”

“No, I suck d-dick with it,” Nico gasped. Will grabbed his face roughly.

“You cheeky little shit,” he hissed and kissed him forcefully. He then let go of Nico completely, “Ride me.”

Nico looked at him with defiance for a moment, arms still behind his back. Then he melted and gave in, and in moments he was bouncing in Will’s lap. The blond had a moment of _holy shit this is happening _and his brain turned to mush – every time Nico took his dick back inside himself Will felt like he had gone to heaven. Sweat glistened on the Italian’s chest, his hair curled a little, and he was so sexy and adorable and _perfect._

The ribbon around Nico’s wrists came loose and slithered to the floor.

“Holy shit I’m in love with you,” Will gasped, forgetting his Santa character completely.

Nico didn’t seem to care as he ripped off Will’s hat, throwing it aside and sinking his fingers into the boy’s soft curls. He crashed their mouths together and continued to ride the blond fiercely as they kissed, clinging onto each other, two love-struck teenage boys once more.

“I’m gonna come,” Will panted against Nico’s mouth, “Y-You need to get off.”

But Nico just bounced harder, “Come inside,” he gasped.

“_Fuck,” _Will gritted out and wrapped both his arms around Nico, crushing the smaller boy against his body. His hips stuttered and he emptied himself right inside the Italian, “F-Fuck.”

Now it was Will’s turn to be disorientated and pliant, and Nico kissed him hungrily and jerked himself off. In seconds Will’s Santa onesie was ruined with streaks of white.

The two boys slumped against each other, panting for air, eyes closed. The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled gently.

“So,” Nico un-plastered himself from Will enough to look at him, the blond’s cock slowly going soft inside him, “Santa isn’t real.”

“Sorry to shatter the illusion,” Will said breathlessly. Nico smiled and touched his face tenderly.

“Did you mean it? The ‘I love you’ part?” he asked softly.

Will could only nod. Nico kissed him, “Thank you for this. It’s been a great Christmas. And I love you too.”

***

Meanwhile another couple wasn’t having such a great time. With Christmas dinner finished Percy was curled up on Annabeth’s couch, hugging a pillow and unable to enjoy his presents.

“My poor baby boy,” he cried.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, walking past with a bottle of red wine, “He’s not a child, he’ll be fine and we can all spend tomorrow together.”

“I know,” Percy sniffled, “But he’s like my little brother, and he’s all alone...”

“Oh trust me,” Annabeth smirked, opening the bottle, “he’s not alone.”

Percy blinked the tears out of his eyes, “What?”

“He’s with Santa,” Annabeth winked.

Percy stared at her. Then he stood up, pulled the bottle out of her hand and proceeded to chug it.

Annabeth smiled and crossed her arms, “Merry Christmas to you too.”


	14. Happy New Year! (Percy x Malcolm)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years for tomorrow guys! (or for wherever depending on time zones) ;)

**Halloween or new years or a random party where X had no idea who he had kissed, it was dark and he was drunk and just smashed his lips against the person closest to him. Later, the boy he kissed mysteriously disappeared and he goes all out to find out who was behind the mask because he might have dropped something of his(a Shoe or sth. Idk). On his search for the mystery guy he finds out things about him but nothing close enough to figure out his identity, just enough to make him fall in love until he did find out. Kinda like a Cinderella au. It’d be nice if the person turned out to really really close to X, a best friend or sth.  
** **For Echo_luvs_Leo**

** **

It was tradition at Olympus High School for the most popular kids from Year 12 and 13 to have a joint New Year’s Eve party at one of the large houses belonging to one of the rich students, drink themselves stupid and make out with class-mates who they’d avoid eye-contact with for the ensuing seven months. It was also tradition for the party to be hosted at a seventeen or eighteen year old’s house, one of the Year 13’s, and marginally less of the Year 12’s were invited, only the crème de la crème, the hottest girls and the soundest lads.

Malcolm Pace only got invited to Jason Grace’s house because he happened to be the socially awkward, sixteen year old brother of Annabeth Chase, the most popular seventeen year old in Year 13. Annabeth had been reluctant to bring him since she didn’t want to ‘babysit’ Malcolm as he had never so much as touched alcohol or smelled weed, which there would be plenty of at the party, plus some other questionable substances, and she was afraid he’d either snitch to their parents or puke himself stupid in one of Jason’s toilets.

However, as in many things in life, their stern mother Athena forced Annabeth to take her younger brother along.

At first it had been fine; Malcolm and Annabeth showed up early since Jason and the girl were close friends. She came in a sparkling little black number, while Malcolm came in an oversized green jumper that throughout the night grew too warm and made him feel incredibly ugly, which didn’t help the fact that he had spent most of his life in the shadow of his gorgeous sister.

At the ‘pre-drinks’ (as Annabeth and her friends called them – Malcolm wouldn’t know, he had never been in so much as a 30 mile radius of a party) Malcolm found himself standing awkwardly at the end of Jason’s lovely marble kitchen counter, nursing a bitter whiskey and coke as his sister chatted away with her friends.

Said friends were nice enough, especially Jason and Hazel, and tried to start up a conversation with the blond but he was so nervous that he could only reply in shy little quips that eventually discouraged Malcolm from trying to get involved all together. Instead he floated over to the couch, in front of which there was a table laid with snacks for the guests, and he sank down into the pillows, wondering how long he’d have to stay here before it would be acceptable for him to show back up home.

Midnight seemed like a good time. The boy pushed his glasses further up his nose and took a sip of his drink.

“You could have made an effort you know,” came a teasing, familiar voice. Malcolm tensed and he felt a playful flick at the back of his neck. He flinched and none other than Percy Jackson rounded the couch, smiling in the most annoyingly confident way, like he _knew _that he was the shit.

Percy Jackson was almost eighteen, a year above Malcolm in school, and his sister’s ex-boyfriend. They parted amicably some months prior as both of them wanted to explore their sexuality, a time during which Percy shagged half the willing male population of the school. To Malcolm it just seemed like he did it out of boredom, since he did the same with most of the girls at school before he settled with Annabeth.

Malcolm had a hopeless crush on him, and he hated himself and Percy for it.

“Fuck off,” he muttered now, fighting the urge to cover himself up. He knew he wasn’t good looking in any sense of the word, all of Athena’s beauty had gone directly to Annabeth, leaving him lanky and short with untamed curly blond hair and dull grey eyes that couldn’t see more than a foot in front of his face. Malcolm knew all that and he usually wasn’t bothered, but he _hated _the way Percy looked at him, like he wanted to take off his clothes with his eyes and poke fun at his sticking-out ribs.

“Feisty as always I see,” Percy collapsed onto the couch next to Malcolm and gravity made the blond dip towards him. He hurriedly scrambled back in the most inconspicuous way possible, blushing behind his heavy glass-frames. Percy noticed the act, “Aw, c’mon Malcolm. Can’t we have a truce this one night?”

“Truce?” Malcolm’s eyes narrowed, “I’m not the one who picks on _you.”_

“It’s just teasing, Malkie,” Percy rolled his eyes.

“Don’t call me that.”

“What you drinking?” Percy peeked into his cup, and Malcolm snatched it away, spilling a little on his jumper.

“None of your business!” he proclaimed snobbily. Someone turned the music on, a bassy number from the charts.

“Jeez, someone’s jumpy today,” Percy looked mildly annoyed and he reached to wipe the coke and whiskey off Malcolm’s chest, but the boy slapped his hand away and jumped off the couch before the older boy could notice his burning face. He headed straight for Annabeth as the doorbell rang.

“Hey,” he told her quietly, pulling her out of a conversation with Piper and Leo, “I don’t feel so well, think I’m gonna head home.”

Annabeth actually looked a little sad, “Hey, no, stay, it’ll be fun. I know I was kinda bitchy earlier but you’re here now so you might as well hang around, right? The guys promised to take care of you, and Percy volunteered to rub your back if you puke-“

Malcolm tensed, “I’m good.”

His sister grabbed his hand, “Please, Malkie, I won’t hear the fucking end of this from mum if you go now. Stay till midnight at least?”

The lights dimmed, people started to arrive.

“Okay,” Malcolm agreed.

***

Two hours later, as midnight approached, he regretted his decision.

11:45pm on the 31st of December 2019 found him in a dark corner between the kitchen and the stairs, drinking his fourth whiskey and coke (or maybe it was vodka...) feeling sorry for himself. It was dark, people kept shoving past him like he was a wall decoration, and he felt relatively tipsy. He hadn’t seen Annabeth in over half an hour, or any of her friends for the matter, and felt helplessly alone – he had tried to say hello to some of the kids from his year but after being ignored for the third time he retreated back into the safe space he had established for himself in the corner, away from the dancing in the living-room, the smokers in the garden and the aggressive game of beer-pong in the kitchen.

Suddenly Percy popped up in front of him, all drunk-flushed and grinning, making Malcolm wonder what it would feel like to kiss him.

“There you are!” the boy said cheerfully.

“Hello,” Malcolm replied quietly.

“We’ve all been looking for you. It’s almost midnight you should come watch the fireworks with us in the garden.”

Malcolm’s legs felt like jelly.

“I’m good here,” he mumbled.

“When will you stop sulking?” Percy asked.

“I’m not sulking,” Malcolm mumbled. Percy rolled his eyes.

“Not everyone’s your enemy, you know.”

“Nobody’s my friend though,” Malcolm said bitterly. Percy looked really angry. He reached for Malcolm and the blond thought he was about to get hit, but then Percy dropped his hand.

“Fine,” he shoved past the blond, “Feel sorry for yourself then.”

So Malcolm did, he stood there and fought tears. Why couldn’t he be like Annabeth? Social and outgoing and liked by everyone? He sniffled. The alcohol was making him feel emotional and terrible.

A drunk, giggling couple from the year above stumbled down the stairs.

“Wanna go outside?”

“Nah, let’s stay here. I wanna kiss you at midnight.”

They flipped the fairylights off and the corridor drowned in darkness. _All the better. _Malcolm drained his drink and dropped the crumpled cup on the floor. Once midnight struck he was going to go home, crawl under his covers and forget this night ever happened.

The music quietened suddenly.

“Alright everybody!” Jason’s voice floated from the kitchen, “As per tradition a New Year’s kiss is mandatory!” the house drowned in cheers, “Settle down! We’ll count down to midnight together and then grab your bestie, your boyfriend or girlfriend, your crush or just whoever you want to kiss and show ‘em some love for the New Year!” another cheer.

Malcolm pressed himself further into the wall. He didn’t realise this was a tradition, but it didn’t really change anything for him – it wasn’t like anyone in the whole school would want to kiss him.

“Ten!” the collective shouting of a hundred drunk teenagers resonated throughout the house, “Nine! Eight!”

“Screw it! I wanna see the fireworks!” the giggling couple rushed past.

“Seven! Six!”

Malcolm felt so alone all of a sudden. He blinked back tears.

“Five! Four!”

Someone rustled past him to his left, their shoulder brushing against Malcolm’s.

“S-Sorry,” the boy slurred.

“Three!”

He realised the person didn’t walk past. It was too dark for Malcolm to see who it was but he could sense the person was taller than him, and bigger, because they were so _close _Malcolm could feel their breath on his forehead.

“U-Um...sorry...is everything okay?” Malcolm asked nervously.

“Two!”

The person place their hands on either side of Malcolm’s head, on the wall. The boy tried to shrink back and opened his mouth to ask what the person wanted, when the party screamed –

“One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The music blared, the fireworks exploded, and the person kissed Malcolm right on the mouth. His first kiss.

The person’s mouth was rough, a little chapped, he smelled like a boy.

Malcolm squeaked into the kiss and tried to edge back, but the boy wasn’t having it, as his large hands gripped Malcolm’s cheeks. Yup, definitely a boy. Malcolm started to protest, his words muffled by the boy’s mouth insistently moving against his. Malcolm panicked; he didn’t know who this was, or _why _he was kissing _him _of all people.

“_Stph,” _Malcolm whined against the boy’s mouth, and the kisser took that opportunity to plunge his tongue into the blond’s mouth. Malcolm gasped as his head spun, and he gripped the boy’s wrists but didn’t push him away. He was confused and shocked.

_It feels kind of nice..._before he could stop himself, Malcolm found himself melting against the wall. He knew he was pathetic, that this was a joke, that he couldn’t enjoy this and have it used against him...but _fuck, _nobody had ever kissed him like this. It was rough and desperate, but tender somehow, the boy’s tongue explored Malcolm’s mouth like it wanted to memorise every inch of it. One of the boy’s hands slid into the curls at the nape of Malcolm’s neck and he tugged the blond forward – Malcolm let him, leaning against the boy as his eyes fluttered shut in pleasure. The party ceased to exist and a warmth spread throughout Malcolm’s body.

He moaned into the boy’s mouth, then immediately jerked his head back in embarrassment.

“S-Sorry!” he squeaked.

“Shhh,” the voice could have been anyone, and Malcolm felt a gentle hand on his cheek, then a thumb against his bottom lip. _I’ve ruined it, _the blond squeezed his eyes shut. But then he found himself being kissed again, the tongue easing back into his mouth much more gently than before.

Malcolm shivered as he felt the boy’s arm wrap around his waist, and his own hands rested uneasily on the boy’s shoulders. Malcolm had no idea how to kiss, but he opened his mouth willingly and then started to nervously copy the other boy’s movements, sliding his mouth against his.

He seemed to be doing decently enough because suddenly he found himself firmly pressed into the wall, the boy’s body flush against his as he kissed him with such intensity that Malcolm’s legs almost buckled.

Voices floated towards them as people headed into the hallway, and the boy sprung away from Malcolm. The blond stood there, dazed and confused, and blindly reached for his kisser. His hand swiped air.

Someone turned on the fairylights and Malcolm flinched.

“Malcolm?” Piper was standing nearby and more people filtered upstairs as the party resumed, “Everything okay? You look really red.”

“I’m just drunk!” Malcolm replied quickly, ashamed. He looked around helplessly, but whoever had kissed him was gone. Piper drifted upstairs and Malcolm became invisible again.

He sighed and ran a hand through his curls, wondering if he had imagined the whole thing. Something glinted by his shoe and the squatted down to see what it was. It was a pen, a very specific pen, slender and gold. Malcolm picked it up gingerly.

Did it belong to his mysterious kisser? And if it did...did Malcolm really want to know who it was?

Feeling sick all of a sudden the blond pocketed the pen and stumbled to the front door.

***

The morning of January 1st 2020 found Malcolm severely hangover, laying in his bed fighting nausea, staring at his ceiling and trying to piece together what happened last night.

A soft knock sounded on the door and a familiar golden hair poked in.

“Hey kiddo,” Annabeth smiled tiredly at him, last night’s mascara under her eyes. Without asking she crawled into his bed, just like she did when they were kids.

“When did you get in?” Malcolm asked, surprised by the hoarseness of his voice.

“Like six this morning,” Annabeth threw an arm around him, “I was worried, y’know. You just got an Uber and left right after midnight. Was the party that shit?”

Malcolm considered not telling her, but then he thought he might explode, “Someone kissed me last night,” he managed to choke out.

Annabeth sat up, “Someone _what?!”_

“I-It’s not a big deal!” Malcolm also sat up, regretted it immediately and flopped back onto the bed with a groan. He rubbed his face and reached for his glasses, “It’s just tradition, right? I bet someone close by just grabbed me and...,” he trailed off, remembering the raw passion of the kiss. He shivered and blushed.

“Malkie, that’s just what we _say, _but the kisses happen between couples or friends, people you know. Random people don’t just kiss each other,” she nibbled her lip, then grinned, “Wait who was it?”

Malcolm shrugged, “Dunno. Don’t remember. It was a boy though.”

Annabeth frowned, “He didn’t force himself on you, did he?”

“No!” Malcolm gushed hurriedly, “N-No! It was...it was nice,” he squeaked, then swallowed.

“Any idea who it could be?” Annabeth asked, wriggling her eyebrows. Malcolm considered telling her about the pen, but it seemed stupid to him in sober reality, like a bizarre Cinderella moment.

“No,” he said, then rolled over, “I don’t think I want to know. It was definately a joke or a dare.”

“_Jesus, _Malkie,” Annabeth sighed, “You’re acting like you’re hideous or some shit, like it’d be soooo crazy for someone to fancy you. You’re a cutie, I’m not that surprised someone took a liking to you at the party.”

Malcolm pulled the covers over his head, “Shut up.”

“Did you have an alright time though?” Annabeth asked tentatively.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said, and it wasn’t really a lie. The kiss made it worth it. The kiss had made Malcolm feel...

“Good,” Annabeth shoved her hand under the blanket and ruffled her brother’s hair, “Me and Percy are gonna grab breakfast, wanna come?”

Malcolm’s heart squeezed. How nice it would have been if Percy was the one who kissed him...

“No thanks,” Malcolm said, immediately shutting down the ridiculous fantasy.

***

School started back up the next week and the Year 13’s were overwhelmed with work for their A Levels. The excitement and gossip from Jason’s party seemed to have circulated all the group chats – none of which Malcolm was a part of – and died down so things were normal when everyone came back.

Except the only thing Malcolm could think about was his mysterious kisser. He had dreams about him at night, and spent most of his days day-dreaming about some romantic, movie-esque reunion between the two of them that he knew wouldn’t happen.

He wasn’t actually going to play Sherlock Holmes and try figure out who it was, and he told himself he was content to hold onto the lovely memory, and the golden pen.

But then he and Alabaster, a boy from his year that had also been at the party, got put on prefect lunch duty together – for forty-five minutes they had to patrol the school building at lunch and make sure no kids were inside instead of out in the playground. Malcolm usually tried to avoid getting paired with kids like Alabaster since he was very much a ‘popular’ guy, and a massive asshole. But this time there was nothing he could do.

The two boys walked down the corridor in silence. Alabaster pulled his phone out of his pocket and started clicking through messages and Malcolm bit his tongue before he said some stupid shit about school rules about phones. Alabaster, thankfully, didn’t seem to be in a mood to pick on Malcolm, or ask him inappropriate questions about his sister. Still, the awkwardness was palpable and for some reason Malcolm’s brain told him it was the perfect time to ask Alabaster about what happened on New Year’s Eve.

“Uh...so,” Malcolm started and Alabaster didn’t acknowledge him in any way. The blond wrung his hands out together, before reaching into his pocket, “Um, weird question but do you know who this pen belongs to?”

Alabaster spared the golden pen a glance before rolling his eyes and turning back to his phone. A blush of embarrassment flooded Malcolm.

“Take that as a no,” he squeaked, and Alabaster didn’t say anything more for the remainder of lunch. Malcolm told himself that this was a sign for him to drop the whole thing.

***

“Alright!” Coach Gleeson yelled at the class of sixteen and seventeen year olds gathered in the gym room the following Wednesday, “Today we’re doing _cardio. _Yes, I know Zhang, don’t make that face muscle boy. I’m going to pair everyone up – _Hey! _Castor and Pollux are you deaf? I said _I’ll _pair people up and you two are definitely not going together!” the angry PE teacher shook his head, “Imbeciles. Right.” He pulled up the register, “One person does the cardio, the other one times them, use all the machines you want or you can run. First off, Clovis and Gwendolyn...”

Coach started to rattle off names and Malcolm looked around the gym room, and the intimidating-looking machines whose names he was unsure of. Whoever he got paired with, he’d end the day aching and sore anyway.

“Zhang, you’re with Pace.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Frank Zhang, the most fit and sporty guy in the class, groaned under his breath. Malcolm bit the inside of his cheek and pretended the reaction didn’t affect him, “Treadmill?” Frank didn’t seem enthusiastic.

“Sure,” Malcolm followed him to a free one, “Wanna go first?”

“Sure,” Frank hopped on. Malcolm watched as he started to jog, upping up the levels and tilting the treadmill so he was running uphill within seconds. Malcolm wasn’t sure what the numbers on the screen meant, but Frank was running much faster than the other kids on the treadmills.

“So...,” Malcolm started awkwardly, “Uh...were you at Jason’s party?”

“The one on Friday?” Frank asked casually, “Yeah, it got messy. You’d think with A Levels the year above would calm down.”

“Oh,” Malcolm swallowed, “Um, no, I meant New Year’s.”

“Oh,” Frank seemed to remember, “Right. You were there, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Malcolm mumbled, “Did...uh...did you get a kiss at midnight?”

Frank’s eyebrows shot up into his hair and he glanced at the blond standing by the machine, “Uh...yeah. From my girlfriend. Since when are you interested?”

“I’m not!” Malcolm exclaimed, blushing, “Um...I-I just...,” he decided to quickly change the topic and pulled out a golden pen from the pocket of his sweat pants, “Do you know who this pen belongs to?”

Frank looked at it, “No?” he offered, “I don’t have an inventory of fancy pens and their owners, Pace.”

“Right,” Malcolm shoved it back, equally as embarrassed as he had been with Alabaster. He told himself to drop the subject, that it was ridiculous and stupid for him to consider looking for the ‘Prince Charming.’ He would just end up disappointed, and probably hurt.

***

On the Friday two weeks after New Year’s Eve Malcolm couldn’t focus in class – despite his best efforts, the mystery kisser remained firmly planted in Malcolm’s head, becoming a twisted, dark figure the more Malcolm thought about him. Not knowing was killing him, which is why during lunch he flagged down Jason, probably one of the nicest in Annabeth’s friendship group, to try and get some answers.

The blond was just coming out of his chemistry class, when Malcolm tapped him on the back.

“Oh,” the older boy seemed surprised to see him, “Hey. You okay, buddy?”

“Malcolm!” before the boy could reply Percy appeared next to Jason, slinging his arm around the boy’s shoulders and grinning at Malcolm, “What brings you here?”

Malcolm’s heart started to pound, “I need to talk to Jason.”

“Aw, talk to me instead,” Percy winked. Malcolm looked away, blushing.

“It’s...a private matter,” he mumbled. Percy’s expression fell, and Jason gently untangled himself from his friend, “Save me a seat in the cafeteria,” he told his friend, then gestured at Malcolm to go down the quickly deserting corridor.

“So,” Jason started when they were out of ear-shot, “What’s bugging you.”

“Um...,” Malcolm pulled the golden pen out of his pocket, “Do you know who this belongs to?” he asked, “I found it in your house...”

Jason looked confused, “You found it and you’re trying to give it back? I mean...,” he inspected the pen, “It’s nice enough but it’s a lot of hassle for just a pen. I say forget it and just bin it, I think the owner’s probably forgotten about it.”

_He’s probably forgotten about the kiss too. _Malcolm wanted to cry, but something stopped him from letting go of his stupid love fantasy.

“But I want to know who it was,” he said in a small voice.

Jason stopped and looked at Malcolm, “Did the owner do something?”

“No,” the blond mumbled, “I just wanna know.”

Jason sighed, “It looks familiar, honestly, but I’m not sure who it belongs to. Why don’t you ask your sister?”

Malcolm swallowed and shoved the pen back into his pocket. This quest was stupid. Malcolm should have been a pretty, shy girl looking for her prince charming but he wasn’t, and he had to forget the whole thing.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling palely, “Maybe I will,” he lied.

***

Malcolm wasn’t planning on telling Annabeth, because he was thoroughly embarrassed at the bizarre romantic notion he had made up in his head, but word got back to her (probably through Jason) and the girl ended up cornering him after lessons.

“Malcolm,” she grabbed his arm as he exited his last class and steered him into a quiet corner of the hallway. Her expression made Malcolm anxious, “What’s this I’m hearing about you asking around about a golden pen.”

“Nothing,” Malcolm squeaked, “You could have waited for me to come home-“

Annabeth rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out, “Come on, let me see.”

“Let you see what?”

“The pen!” Annabeth prodded impatiently, “Honestly I’m kind of offended – you’ve shown it to half the school and you didn’t think to ask me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Malcolm said, “I’m just gonna forget about it...,” his hand automatically went to his pocket, but Annabeth was faster. In a flash, she had the golden pen in her hands. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

“Oh. This is Percy’s,” she said casually.

Malcolm’s whole world tilted. He couldn’t breathe all of a sudden.

“D’you want me to give it back to him?” Annabeth asked, but all Malcolm could see was Percy’s smiling face. Percy had kissed him..., “Malkie?” Annabeth frowned, worried at her brother’s expression, “Is everything ok...,” she paused and realisation hit her, “Holy shit,” she whispered, “You wanted to know because the owner of this pen kissed you on New Year’s, right?”

Malcolm could only nod mutely.

“Okay, listen,” Annabeth put on her business voice and put the pen back in Malcolm’s pocket, “I know your instincts are telling you to run away and forget the whole thing but you _can’t. _I can’t tell you everything, that’s Percy’s job, but you _need _to go to him and tell him you know. He’ll explain everything.”

Malcolm broke out of his shock, “No!” he balked, “_You _explain.”

Annabeth shook her head, “It’s not my place. Percy’s getting out of rugby practice, he’ll be in the changing rooms. _Go.”_

For some reason, Malcolm went.

***

The blond waited, terrified, by the doors of the boy’s changing rooms. They opened and the team started to filter out, damp from showers and chattering among themselves, completely ignoring Malcolm.

That is, until Percy came out. Malcolm’s heart stopped beating. He looked so gorgeous in that moment, hair all damp, in shorts and a t-shirt, towering over Malcolm. _It’s not real. It has to be a joke._

“Oh,” Percy greeted him with less enthusiasm than normal and glanced back into the changing room, where only Jason remained, “Someone to see you Captain.”

“Oh. Malcolm. Hi,” Jason came out too, “You okay.”

“A-Actually,” Malcolm stuttered, gathering up his bravery and staring at the ground, “it’s Percy I want to talk to.”

“A whole-school interrogation,” Jason chuckled, “Good luck.”

He walked off and Percy and Malcolm remained alone. Percy crossed his arms over his chest defensively, and Malcolm thought he was going to faint.

“Well?” Percy asked, “What’s the problem. I’m sure _Jason _could sort it for you.”

Malcolm blinked. _Is he jealous? _He shook off the stupid thought, “Can we talk in there,” he pointed at the changing room. Percy didn’t seem to expect this because his stance relaxed.

“Err...sure.”

They walked in, the door sliding shut behind them. The changing room was still a little steamy from the team showers, and smelled damp and sweaty. Malcolm felt his bravery leaving him so he hurriedly delved into his pocket.

“I’ve got something of yours,” he blurted, then held out the golden pen. Percy’s eyes widened, and it was like a silent confirmation. Malcolm felt he couldn’t breathe, his hand trembled.

“Where did you get that?” Percy whispered, and he sounded horrified.

Malcolm felt so embarrassed he wanted to die. He shoved the pen into Percy’s hand, “I’m sorry!” he said, red as a tomato, “I-I’m sorry, we can just forget the whole t-thing and u-um...I-I won’t tell anyone, I-I get it was a joke s-so...,” his eyes met Percy’s, he quickly looked away and turned on his heel, heading for the door. He had got it all so wrong, he shouldn’t have confronted him.

“Woah! Wait up,” Percy jumped in front of him, and crowded Malcolm against a locker and it felt so _familiar. _It was just like the party, except quieter and brighter, “Who said it was a joke?”

Malcolm’s heart hurt, “So it _was_ you,” he said in a pathetic little whisper.

“Y-Yeah...,” Percy looked away and actually _blushed, _“I-I mean...,” he seemed equally as embarrassed.

“Why?” Malcolm asked, “If it wasn’t a joke then why’d you do it? Did you feel _that _sorry for me? I don’t need a pity kiss, you know.”

“It’s not that!” Percy snapped so suddenly that Malcolm flinched. The older boy took a step back and inhaled a deep breath before running a hand through his damp hair. He seemed agitated.

“It’s just...,” he refused to look at Malcolm, and seemed unable to piece his words together, “I-I didn’t know you were coming to the party, I didn’t _prepare, _y’know...like _mentally. _N-Normally I...,” he bit his lip, “Normally I have time to get my shit together and act all cool and make sure none of my stupid fucking feelings come pouring out, but that night you...,” he finally looked at Malcolm, his eyes soft and desperate, “You came in an ugly fucking jumper and you didn’t even _brush _your hair, and yet you were the most gorgeous person there, and I couldn’t stop looking at you, and I wanted to kiss you so fucking badly-”

“What are you talking about?!” Malcolm exploded, unable to take the waves of heat that rushed through him. Tears prickled his eyes, he was so confused and overwhelmed. He gripped the strap of his bag so tightly his knuckles were white, “Are you hearing yourself?!”

“Shut up!” Percy seemed angry, “Why is me liking you so crazy for you to understand?!”

“Because I’m _me!” _Malcolm yelled, “And you’re _you! _And you’re _perfect! _And you dated my _sister! _And why in the fuck would you ever want _me?!” _

“That’s the reason me and Annabeth broke up!” Percy said helplessly, “I told her about my feelings for you!”

Malcolm gaped at him, then quickly unleashed his anger again, “Then why go shag the whole school right after?!”

“Because I couldn’t get you out of my head and I thought you’d never like me back!” Percy groaned, then paused, “Wait. _Do _you like me back?”

“I’m asking the questions here!” Malcolm snapped, “If you like me so much why did you run away on New Year’s?!”

“I’m your sister’s ex-boyfriend!” Percy took a deep breath and calmed down, “Honestly...,” his shoulders slumped, “You never seemed interested in me, and I was so drunk, and all I fucking wanted was to kiss you. I wanted to do it in the garden with everyone but you wouldn’t come...,” he shook his head, then laughed bitterly, “I literally forced myself on you.”

All of the anger evaporated out of Malcolm, “What?” he asked quietly.

“Any way you look at it,” Percy said bitterly, “I didn’t as for consent. You _asked _me to stop, and I didn’t,” he shrugged, “I just kept going, hoping you’d give in, that you’d give me a chance...”

Malcolm felt like life was glitiching – in what universe was Percy Jackson worrying that _he _wouldn’t give him a chance?!

“You’re crazy,” Malcolm whispered.

“Crazy for you.”

Malcolm let out a startled giggle, that sounded like a sob. He wiped his teary eyes on his sleeve, “S-Shut up.”

Percy smiled fondly. The tension eased out of the room.

“Do you believe me?”

Malcolm shrugged and hugged himself, looking at the floor, “I don’t know.”

“This isn’t a stupid American high school movie, y’know,” Percy said, “I’m not a dumb jock and you’re not a cute nerd, though you _are _very cute. This isn’t a YA novel, and we’re not characters, we’re just two guys, who happen to like each other.”

“Who said I like you?” Malcolm mumbled. Percy laughed and stepped close to the boy. He leaned down and Malcolm tensed, but Percy just nuzzled his nose against the blond’s.

“I know you like me,” Percy said teasingly.

“Shut up.”

“Make me,” the older boy wriggled his eyebrow’s. Malcolm kissed him clumsily. Percy smiled into the kiss, cupped the boy’s cheeks and kissed him back gently.

“Okay,” he muttered, “that was _kind _of like an American high-school movie.”

Malcolm actively shut him up by wrapping his arms around Percy’s shoulders and drawing him in for another surprisingly innocent kiss. When it finished, Percy showered Malcolm’s face in kisses until the blond was giggling and nudging him away.

“Hey,” Percy grabbed Malcolm’s cheeks in his hands again, all of a sudden serious, “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Malcolm exhaled air he didn’t know he was holding, “T-That’s...that’s a big ask.”

“I know,” Percy beamed, “I’ve been practicing it in front of the mirror. I was all like _Malcolm, will you be my bae _and everything.”

Malcolm cringed, “I hate you.”

“Is that a yes?” Percy asked.

“Yeah,” Malcolm’s heart felt too big for his chest, “It’s a yes.”

A deafening cheer that almost gave Malcolm a heart attack filled the locker room. The entire team, plus all of Percy’s friends that must’ve been called during the argument – _and _Annabeth – burst through the door, clapping and hollering.

“Fucking finally!” Jason proclaimed.

“Y-You were listening?!” Malcolm flushed bright red.

“It was hard not to, it was like a telenovella,” Piper rolled her eyes.

“Alright everyone settle down,” Annabeth was grinning, “They’re not getting married...yet.”


	15. PRESS X (Percy x Leo)

**Superhero/villain au! I was thinking one where the gang are all superheroes, while Leo is the brains/mechanic behind everything, so he often isn’t in the front lines, but he’s still always there. However there’s a super villain (idc who it is, could be Percy, could be Apollo, whoever you think works best) who likes Leo and likes to kidnap him in order to woo him. None of the others believe him and just think the villain is doing it just to get access to their information, but the villain turns out to not be that bad of a guy and he’s more in it for money and not world domination. Through a lot of funny misadventures, they end up together!  
For Alice May**

** **

_WELCOME BACK. TO CONTINUE WHERE YOU LAST LEFT OFF, PRESS **X. **_

“Alright gang,” a young girl with blonde hair, whose name was Athena, squatted with her teammates behind one of the abandoned apartment blocks. All around them was a silent, eerie dark night as the full moon shone over the ghost town of Pripyat, Ukraine, where the mission was taking place. Despite the cold weather and the snow lightly tumbling from the ominous sky, Athena didn’t seem to feel the cold, dressed in shorts and a baseball cap, “the plan is simple; Poseidon is hiding out in one of these buildings, and someone is paying him good money to rob one of the abandoned banks. Problem is, we don’t know which one.”

“What’s the area we need to cover?” Bellona, a stern girl with a dark braid down her back, asked, gripping an old fashioned Roman sword in her hand. She was dressed like a Gladiator, with a flowing purple cloak and golden full-body armour.

“Four kilometres,” a curly-haired, elfish looking boy dressed in cammo replied, leaning against the wall of the abandoned building and typing away on a laptop that illuminated his mischievous features blue, “He can’t be far, but I can’t get good signal down here. I need to go higher to see him on the map.”

“Alright, Hephaestus,” Athena nodded and handed out ear-pieces to the team. The trees rustled, as if nothing was amiss, “You go up to the top floor of this building. Bellona, Hermes,” she looked at the Roman girl and the boy next to her – he had sandy-blond hair and peculiar trainers with wings on them. A scar ran down the side of his face, “You’re the muscle. Stay by the front door and make sure Poseidon doesn’t try getting to Hephaestus again.”

“You got it boss,” Hermes saluted her playfully.

“I wish Hecate was here,” Hephaestus sighed, standing up and dusting off his cammo pants, “Then she could put up protective spells and shit.”

“No point wishing," Athena said sternly, “And Apollo isn’t here so nobody get killed, or you’ll be respawning all the way back at base.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the team muttered. The cold wind picked up. Hephaestus skipped on the spot, feeling adrenaline charge through him.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” he hurried his team up.

“Alright,” Athena said, for the third time, “Ares,” she gestured to a rather ugly, stocky girl with a mean expression, “Mars,” that was directed at a timid-looking Chinese boy who towered over the rest, “You’re with me. Let’s get Poseidon.”

The team split up and Hephaestus found himself inside the abandoned building. Chills crawled up his body and the creepy, dark interior. Pripyat had been abandoned for many years following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and standing at the bottom of a winding staircase that led to the upper floors, Hephaestus felt like he was surrounded by ghosts.

His real name wasn’t Hephaestus, but nobody knew that. He and his teammates weren’t _friends. _They came together when they were summoned, to complete the mission, and then they went their separate ways. Hephaestus’ real name was Leo Valdez. He liked ramen noodles and tacos. His favourite TV show was _The Office. _He was incredibly lonely. These missions gave him a purpose, made him feel like he was part of something. It just made the rest of reality more bleak.

Leo gritted his teeth and shoved his earpiece in, rushing up the stairs. Ghosts weren’t real, this was just another mission and even _if _something jumped out at him, he couldn’t actually die in this world. This world of superheroes and villains.

As he rushed up the stairs, kicking up dirt and passing my graffiti in an alphabet he couldn’t read, he contemplated his existence. He was technically a ‘hero,’ he had done all the training, gotten all the skills. But he wasn’t like Athena and Bellona and Mars, they were _proper _superheroes with super-powers, that fought the bad guys on the front lines. He also wasn’t like Apollo or Hecate, he couldn’t do real magic or heal people. All he knew how to do was spontaneously combust, and understand how technology worked – he was the backup guy, the one in the shadows who nobody ever praised, the brains behind the operation, the mechanic. But he wouldn’t call himself a superhero. He wasn’t brave, he didn’t fight, he just told people where to go and what to do.

It got overwhelming sometimes.

Leo finally got to the top floor of the building. It looked like it might’ve been some type of library once, with old, rotting bookshelves taking up most of the space. The books on the shelves were indistinguishable, years of dampness and dust doing its thing. Leo sat down on the dirty floor by a glass-less window. The wind snuck into the room, ruffling his curls as he opened his laptop. The blue hue didn’t help with the creepiness of this place.

“Come on,” he mumbled to himself as he pulled up a map of the area, “I wanna get out of here.”

His earpiece crackled.

“_What was that?” _Hermes asked.

“Nothing!” Leo said quickly.

“_Stop talking to yourself and check in on everyone.”_

“You got it,” Leo clicked around on the screen. From Mars’ body-cam he could see them running through the town, heading towards a great, shadowy structure that was undoubtedly the bank. Leo could see Ares’ back as she dashed in front of Mars, but Athena was nowhere to be seen – undoubtedly she had turned invisible, “Alright heroes, you’re almost there,” the screen split, showing the three green dots inches away from a big yellow square that indicated the bank, “Also just letting you all know, the radiation is eating our HP, so we need to hurry this shit up.”

_“Got it. We’re in!”_ Athena informed them.

_“Good job, team!”_ Bellona said. 

“_Hephaestus can you see Poseidon anywhere?” _the leader asked.

“Not yet,” Leo full-screened the map. Athena, Ares and Mars were three dots in the yellow square. A little down the map were the two green dots representing Hermes and Bellona, with Leo’s lone dot inside the building he was currently residing in. He clicked his teeth, “I’ll get the antenna out,” he informed his team and slid his backpack off his bag.

He never packed the bag, it was always just ready for him whenever a mission started, and held exactly what he needed inside. He reached into its dark depths, and sure enough pulled out a complicated device with a copper wire sticking out of the top that he had constructed a few weeks ago after a failed mission on top of Mount Everest.

He stood up and held the antenna to the window. Wires erupted from it and attached themselves to the window-frame, and the antenna extended outside. Leo skipped back to his laptop, ignoring the darkness surrounding him, and saw the screen go fuzzy for a second. Then the red dot appeared. Right next to his green one.

Leo’s heart jumped and his adrenaline spiked, “I know you’re here!” he shouted.

“_Hephaestus what’s going on?!”_

Leo summoned a fire ball in his hand and sent it flying between the book-shelves. The flames illuminated a dark figure just a few steps away. Leo swallowed and backed up.

“Guys,” he pressed his earpiece into his ear, “Poseidon’s here.”

_“What?!” _

Suddenly Leo found himself being doused in warm water. His earpiece crackled and died and the boy stood there in shock while his nemesis slid forward to stand in the square of moonlight that came in through the window. He was a tall man, with dark hair, dressed all in black, a dark mask covering the upper half of his face and leaving his confident smirk exposed.

“Poseidon,” Leo growled, ripping his ear-piece out and throwing it aside, “Why are you here? Don’t you have a fucking bank to rob?”

Poseidon sauntered closer, still smirking, “Who needs old soviet money when I can come see you instead?” he teased.

When the team formed, almost six months ago, Poseidon was assigned as their villain. Since then they had made drops all over the world, fighting him and his evil plans. However recently, a few mission ago, Poseidon had taken a weird interest in Leo, singling him out. Normally the boy stayed back from the main fight to help with strategy, but that particular mission, which took place in a little Romanian village, had very poor signal and Leo was unable to communicate with his teammates. So he ended up running out of his hiding spot to warn them about a bomb, which is when Poseidon had seen him for the first time. Since then, he seemed to have it out for the mechanic. If Leo didn’t know better, he would have thought Poseidon liked him, but obviously in this world someone as powerful as him would never be interested in a second-plan hero like Leo.

“You’re a weirdo,” Leo informed him, “How did you get in?”

“Back door,” Poseidon replied, “your two lackeys at the door aren’t so smart, are they?”

Leo sighed, “Just kill me quickly, okay?”

Poseidon was right in front of him just then, “Who said anything about killing?” he asked, and then there was a strong hand behind Leo’s head, and a tissue on his face. He smelled chemicals, struggled, tried to summon his flames but they didn’t come.

His world blacked out and suddenly Leo found himself floating above the scene. He saw himself passed out in Poseidon’s arms. The villain put away the chloroform tissue and carefully picked Leo up, as if he weighed nothing. Leo wanted to shout at him to put him down but he couldn’t speak.

He floated above his body and Poseidon as the latter weaved between the bookshelves and walked out onto the dusty staircase. Leo knew what he was doing; this wasn’t the first time Poseidon had tried to kidnap him, though he had never been successful.

Now Leo found himself defeated, following him down-stairs, but his heart couldn’t seem to calm down. He looked at his own passed-out body, which looked awfully small in Poseidon’s arms, and felt a little excited. Maybe this time Poseidon would succeed and Leo would get to see what came after this...

No such luck. The villain turned on the ground floor into the shadows, away from the front door. He seemed to know the surroundings as he crept among rubbed and through a rusty door at the back, which led into an overgrown playground.

Leo’s teammates were already there. Leo’s conscious tasted disappointment in his mouth.

“Stop right there!” Bellona pointed her sword at Poseidon, “put him down!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Poseidon groaned, “Why do you always ruin my plans?”

“You thought this would work?” Hermes demanded, clearly angry Poseidon had gotten into the building, “That you’d distract us with this and then rob the bank?!”

“Fucking hell,” Poseidon sighed, “I don’t _care _about the bank! Listen – why don’t you guys go get that shitty Communist money and I’ll just take him, eh?” he gestured his chin at Leo.

“You fucking wish!” Mars bellowed, and transformed into a bear. He ran at Poseidon, but a wall of water stopped him suddenly. Poseidon started to laugh as the bear fell back, disorientated.

“I’ll have him eventually!” he told them. Leo’s heart pounded as he watched it all unfold.

Then suddenly Poseidon’s legs were kicked from under him and both he and Leo were sent sprawling on the ground. Athena materialised over them, fuming, and grabbed Leo by the arm, dragging his limp body away as Hermes flew above the water thanks to his shoes. He fell onto Poseidon and the two began to fight.

Leo returned to his body just in time to see Hermes pierce Poseidon’s heart with a dagger. No blood flowed. Poseidon glared at Hermes.

“Literally fuck you-“

He flickered and disappeared. The water fell away. The team stood in the freezing air, catching their breaths.

“Fuck!” Athena yelled, “What the fuck is he playing at?!”

Leo sat up groggily.

“Shit,” Ares said as Mars turned back into a human, “You alright, Hephaestus? What happened, man?”

Leo shrugged and struggled to his feet, “Dunno. He just knocked me out.”

“Whatever,” Athena muttered darkly, “This shit is getting old-“

Before she could finish a big, neon green sign appeared above them: MISSION SUCCESSFUL.

The group cheered, but for some reason Leo felt defeated and useless. He felt the familiar feeling in his stomach that came with teleporting, and Pripyat melted away. Suddenly the group was standing in a dramatic line on top of a sky-scraper in a brightly-lit city.

“Ah!” Hermes stretched his arms over his head, “Olympus. Home sweet home,” he jumped off the roof and his shoes flapped as he flew up, “See you next time, guys!”

With muttered goodbyes, the group dispersed. As always, Leo didn’t have the guts to ask them if they wanted to get drinks or keep hanging out. He assumed his teammates had lives outside of missions, friends and lovers, and he felt pathetically alone asking them out. So he found himself standing on the edge of the roof, looking out across the sky-line, depressed.

The wind howled, brushed through his hair. He looked down, and the dark courtyard below. What was the point of this existence, this loneliness.

He stepped off the building. For a moment he was free-falling, his stomach twisting and wind rushing through his ears. He closed his eyes. Is this what freedom was?

He didn’t feel the impact. When he opened his eyes he was standing back on the roof.

***

The next mission happened a week later, and Leo found himself teleporting right from his shower, butt-naked. Thankfully when he arrived at the location he was dressed in his usual cammo outfit, his backpack on his back, goggles on his head.

His teammates seemed just as groggy as him.

“Morning mission?” Hermes complained, stretching and yawning, his shoes lifting him a little off the ground.

“Yeah,” Bellona swung her sword so it rested on her shoulder, glinting in the sun, “It’s a Saturday.”

The teammates groaned in acknowledgment. Leo looked around, taking in the terrain.

“Huh,” he said, “weird ass beach.”

That’s where they had landed; it seemed to be early afternoon by the position of the hot sun midway up the perfectly blue sky, and the stretch of golden sand that the team was standing on extended into a jungle full of animal cries.

“Oh no,” Ares groaned, “I’m not dealing with no weird mutated animals again. No sir.”

“It’ll be fine,” Mars grinned and cracked his knuckles, then transformed into a huge tiger. He roared, and the jungle went silent for a moment.

“Down boy,” Athena rolled her eyes, “Leo, what’s the mission objective?”

“Oh, right!” Leo knelt down in the sand, slid his backpack off and pulled out his trusty laptop. As always, instructions were written in white on a black screen.

“Poseidon is trying to steal a rare breed of bird,” he read out.

“Are you _serious?!” _Hermes complained, “We’re here for a _bird?!”_

“Shush,” Athena told him, arms crossed over her chest.

Leo continued reading, “It’s a Griffin, apparently,” a hologram appeared from the laptop, of a fearsome beast with a lion’s head and body, and the wings of an eagle. Mars whimpered and shrunk back and Ares laughed at him.

“This is no joke,” Bellona said firmly, “We will have to look out for both Poseidon, and the Griffin. That’s _two _enemies.”

“Oh well,” Hermes shrugged, “There’s five of us.”

Leo glued his eyes to his laptop screen. _Six, _he said in his head, _there’s six of us. _But nobody corrected Hermes. Despite the sun, Leo suddenly felt really cold.

“Hephaestus, coordinates,” Athena ordered.

“Uh...,” a blue dot appeared on the screen, in the heart of the jungle, “The Griffin is north-west, at the foot of that mountain,” he pointed to a brown mass rising above the greenery.

“That’s a volcano,” Athena said.

“Yeah, that,” Leo said, “But so far no sign of Poseidon.”

“Okay,” Athena nodded, “He’ll be where the Griffin is. Let’s all head in.”

Leo stood up. Everyone looked at him.

“Er...not you, Hephaestus,” Athena said, “You stay here and keep us informed.”

“Do I never get to fight?” Leo asked, frustrated.

“You’re the mastermind,” Athena reminded him, “Stay on the sand.”

“Gotcha,” Leo said with no enthusiasm and plopped back down. He watched his teammates head off into the jungle and when they disappeared he watched the five green dots head towards the blue.

Bored, Leo started playing music, a lone boy on the sand. He watched the screen for some time, but nothing seemed to be happening so he flopped backwards and started to sunbathe.

His earpiece crackled, “_Anything?” _Athena asked.

“Nope,” Leo said, irritated, and then pulled his earpiece out. He started to sing off-key to the song.

“Having a good time?” Poseidon asked.

“Not really,” Leo replied. Then he sat up abruptly, heart pounding. Poseidon was casually sitting cross-legged on the other side of the laptop, smiling at Leo. He looked out of place in his mask and his all-black attire and Leo felt himself blushing, embarrassed at being so caught off guard.

“Y-You!” he scrambled for his earpiece in the sand but Poseidon just casually waved his hand and water bubbled from the sand, destroying the ear-piece once again. Leo groaned and flopped back into the sand.

“You seem relaxed today,” Poseidon laughed, amused, “Not scared of death?”

“I don’t care,” Leo grumbled, “Send me back to Olympus. I was mid-shower and everything. These fucking missions,” he sighed, “All I do is sit around and wait for them to get all the glory. Or wait for you to show up.”

Poseidon was smiling, a little softer, “Come on, don’t downplay yourself,” he said, “Without you, I wouldn’t have so many losses.”

Leo sat up, back all sandy and studied Poseidon, “Why are you here?”

“I’m enjoying the view?” Poseidon asked, pointing at the sea.

“Oh.” Leo nodded, then shook his head, “No, c’mon, you have a Griffin to capture.”

Poseidon grew serious, “Maybe it’s not the Griffin I want.”

Leo’s body burned, and he could tell Poseidon’s gaze was intense, even though he couldn’t see his eyes.

“I-I...,” he spluttered. Poseidon laughed.

“Just kidding,” he said, and clicked his fingers.

A roar came from the jungle, and suddenly the Griffin rosy from the trees and headed straight for the beach. Leo screamed, scrambled to his feet, and set his hands on fire.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

“Relax,” Poseidon laughed and stood up. To Leo’s surprise, the Griffin landed in the sand next to him and Poseidon reached out. Instead of biting his hand, the Griffin nuzzled it, “We’re buddies.”

“What the fuck,” Leo’s hands went out.

Just then the rest of the team came running out of the jungle, clearly chasing the Griffin.

“Leo!” Athena was fuming, “What the fuck are you doing?! Where was our warning?!”

“He drowned my earpiece!” Leo protested.

“You’re useless!” Hermes shoved him out of the way as the team formed a line in front of the Griffin.

Poseidon’s entire demeanour changed and a cloud passed over his face. The Griffin started to growl.

“Aren’t you guys lovely?” Poseidon asked coolly as Leo angrily shoved his laptop back into his backpack; there wasn’t anything more he was supposed to do, his bit of the mission was done.

“Shut up!” Ares barked, drawing her swords.

“Why are you here?” Athena demanded, “What’s your deal with Hephaestus?”

“To get to know him better,” Poseidon shrugged.

“Stop with the jokes,” Hermes growled, “They’re not funny. Are you after the mission plans.”

“Fuck your mission plans,” Poseidon laughed and pointed at Leo, “He’s _way _more interesting.”

Bellona clicked her tongue, “No matter how weak, Hephaestus is loyal and you won’t get any information off Leo!”

Hephaestus flinched.

“I don’t _want _any information off him,” Poseidon sounded irritated, “And you’re idiots if you think he’s weak. He’s stronger than all of you, but you’re too thick to see it.”

“That’s it!” Ares exclaimed and charged at Poseidon. He easily knocked her back with a wave of water.

“Don’t anger me,” he growled, and behind them the sea started to churn. The group turned to look at the water, and their faces paled, “Not so close to my power source.”

“What do you want?” Athena asked.

“I _told _you!” Poseidon was getting agitated, “Are you guys deaf as well as dumb? I want him!” he pointed at Leo. Leo blushed.

“Right, I’m done with this,” Hermes charged Poseidon at the same time as Mars, in tiger form, did. A golden sword appeared in Poseidon’s hand and he parried the blond’s attack; at the same time the Griffin knocked Mars back with one huge paw – storm clouds gathered overhead, and Hermes’ hair electrified.

“Stop!” Athena yelled, “You’ll hurt the Griffin!”

Hermes stood back and Poseidon laughed, “You can’t beat me, not this close to the sea, not with my friend here,” he patted the Griffin on the side, “but, I’m willing to cut you a deal.”

The team exchanged looks. Nobody looked at Leo.

“Go on,” Athena said tentatively.

“I’ll give you Griffin,” Poseidon said, “In exchange for Hephaestus.”

The team gasped. Leo’s jaw fell to the ground.

“W-What?!” Ares spluttered.

“Let’s not,” Bellona said, and Leo felt relieved, “If he wants him that bad that means that he definitely has hidden powers.”

Leo tasted sick in his mouth. “For the last time, I want him because I think he’s cute!” Poseidon exclaimed.

“Don’t lie,” Hermes barked.

“I’m right here!” Leo yelled.

“Whatever,” Athena scoffed, “Our mission is the Griffin. We’ll figure out the Hephaestus stuff later. We have a deal.”

“What?!” Leo yelled.

“Shake on it,” Poseidon eagerly struck his hand out. Athena shook it. Leo’s whole world tilted.

“Is that all I’m worth to you guys?!” he yelled, horrified, “A successful mission?!”

“Stop being dramatic,” Athena seized his arm and leaned in close, “We’ll come get you. Hang tight.”

She shoved him towards Poseidon. Leo stumbled, but the villain caught him before he hit the ground. Leo tried to push him off, but Poseidon kept an arm around him. Suddenly ideas of what might happen filled Leo’s head. He began to struggle.

“Get off me!” he yelled.

A familiar sign appeared over their heads. MISSION SUCCESSFUL.

“No-“ Leo gasped.

The teleportation took hold. For the first time, Leo wished to see the familiar skyline.

Instead, he found himself in a dark office. A huge window looked out onto the industrial part of Olympus, with factories rising out far into the distance. Everything was dark and depressing, and Poseidon’s arm was still around him, the Griffin nowhere to be found.

“Fuck off!” Leo yelled, shoving Poseidon away.

“Hey, hey, hey,” the villain held his arms up in a gesture of surrender, “It’s not me you should be mad at.”

Leo glared at him, “Where are we?”

Poseidon glanced around, “Dunno. Not my usual respawn.”

He started snooping around and Leo eyed the door.

“Don’t even think about it,” Poseidon winked at him. Leo glared.

“What do you want me to do? Just stay with you happily?”

Poseidon shrugged again, “You’ve probably got another mission. There’s always a mission. Maybe it’s to kill me. Figure it out,” his eyes landed on a purple folder on a desk, and he picked it up and started to flick through it, “Huh. Maps.”

“I don’t have my backpack,” Leo realised, “How will I know my mission?”

“Dunno,” Poseidon said, “Maybe you need to find a key. That seems like a good mission.”

“You’re very nonchalant about all this,” Leo said.

“I’ll tell you a secret; the only way to find happiness in this place is to fuck the missions, find something else you want.”

“Oh yeah?” Leo asked, “What did you find.”

Poseidon closed the folder he had been reading and looked at Leo. The air between them sparked with electricity, “You,” he said softly. Leo shivered, in a very scary, and good way.

“S-Shut up,” he spluttered and turned to the closest computer. It wouldn’t turn on, of course not, it was only part of the backdrop.

The sun started to rise on the horizon, colouring the sky pink. Somewhere a bird started to sing. Leo shivered, it was cold in this office, but it didn’t seem so gloomy anymore.

“Here,” Poseidon threw the folder back onto the desk and pulled his jacket off, “Wear it,” he held it out to Leo, “You look freezing.”

“I don’t want your clothes,” Leo said with disgust, “What do you think this is? An episode of _Teen Wolf?”_

Poseidon snickered and dropped the jacket on a swivelling chair, “Whatever,” he stretched his arms over his head and his joints popped, “I’m going to get a coffee and a bagel. What’s your favourite food?”

Leo hadn’t been expecting that question. Nobody here had ever asked him a question, “U-Um...ramen,” he said, “and tacos.”

Poseidon laughed, good-naturedly, “That’s not very breakfast-y.”

“I don’t like breakfast.”

“Right,” Poseidon smiled, “I’ll see where in Olympus they sell tacos at 6am.”

“Might want to lose the mask first,” Leo grumbled.

“Think I’m okay,” Poseidon grinned and turned to the door, “Don’t try to run, Hephaestus. I’ll just find you again.”

He slipped from the room. Leo felt terribly lonely again. He sat down by a wall and exhaustion washed over him. He looked around the office; what was its purpose? Did other missions come here, or just them?

His eyes began to close. He hadn’t slept in so long, and it had been a tiring day. Without meaning to, he curled up on the floor. Shivers started to wrack his body and his teeth began to clatter. He didn’t usually get cold but there was something about this office room, and being alone, that made him freeze. Giving in, he crawled across the floor, pulled Poseidon’s jacket off the chair, and fell asleep below it.

***

When he woke up there was a plate of cold tacos by his head. He sat up groggily and rubbed his eye.

“What the...”

“Oh,” Poseidon poked his head around a desk, “You’re awake.”

“Yeah,” Leo mumbled, then quickly shoved the jacket off him and stood up. He saw Poseidon was on the floor, newspaper articles spread on the floor in front of him. He was highlighting words, “What are you doing?”

“Your friends brought the Griffin to Olympus. It wrecked havoc downtown?”

“What?” Leo approached him, munching on a taco, “But it was our mission to bring it here, it was _successful.”_

“Yeah, sometimes the missions are glitches,” Poseidon said darkly.

“What are you highlighting?”

“I’m trying to see sense,” Poseidon sighed, “In all of this,” he gestured at the office.

“Us two being here right now?”

“No, just in general...the whole point...”

Leo shrugged and continued eating his taco. The sun had risen and the office was filled with warm autumn light. Leo curled up in an office chair and studied Poseidon. He still had his mask on, but there was something boyish in his appearance. He had been terrorizing Olympus for months...or had he? Leo watched as he nibbled on the end of his pen, ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t look crazy or evil, or like he wanted to conquer the world...he looked...lonely, and tired. Leo’s heart clenched.

“Why do you do it?” he asked.

“What? Kidnap you?” Poseidon asked, distracted.

“No. Why do you hurt people.”

Poseidon seemed shocked by this. He tensed, “I don’t.”

“You’re a villain.”

“It’s not like I _wanted _to be,” Poseidon snapped with sudden emotion. Leo flinched, expecting Poseidon to get angry. Instead he continued to speak, “I had a team once. They were alright. I thought we were friends. But a mission went wrong and I ended up on a deserted island all alone...,” he shook his head, “For months and months I waited for them to come rescue me, but they never fucking did.”

“M-Maybe they didn’t get a mission-“

“Fuck missions!” Poseidon snapped, “You don’t just leave a teammate behind!”

Leo swallowed, “So you turned evil?”

“I’m not _evil,” _Poseidon growled, “Eventually I got myself off that island, but I never found the city I was in. Instead I found this shithole. I tried to join a team but they were all full, and I ended up fighting some people...,” he sighed, calming down, “I try not to hurt civilians, but...being a villain seems like the better option for me. The _only _option.”

“That’s not true,” Leo said fiercely, “You can be whoever you want! You can...,” he thought, “You can be a swimming coach, or a bus driver, or _anything _except for this.”

Poseidon laughed bitterly, “Look at this world, Leo. I’m either me, or one of you, or a background character. I don’t want to be an NPC, and I can’t be hero,” he looked at his pen, “This is all I have.”

Leo really, really wanted to hug him all of a sudden. Poseidon wasn’t a villain, he was misunderstood.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Leo said.

“What?”

“Promise I won’t run,” he said. Poseidon sighed.

“Fine,” he chucked his pen onto the newspapers, “I suppose I don’t have anything to lose anyway.”

***

The streets around the area they were in were rougher than where Leo lived, but still filled with people enjoying the warm weather. Mothers strolled by with buggies, kids skated past, just like any other day. Some people gave Poseidon and his mask weird looks but nobody stopped them as they strolled down in a bizarrely comfortable silence.

Leo turned his face to the sun.

“Wanna get ice-cream?” Poseidon asked. Leo peeked at him.

“It’s a bit cold for ice-cream.”

“It’s _never _too cold for ice-cream,” Poseidon replied. Leo grinned.

“You’re right.”

They headed for a parlour around the corner. Poseidon ordered mint and chocolate chip and blueberry. Leo ordered chocolate and coffee. They sat down in a booth.

“That’s a weird flavour combo,” Leo pointed out as Poseidon ate his ice-cream.

“Yeah, tastes fucking weird too.”

“Why’d you get it then?” Leo laughed. Poseidon shrugged.

“I like blue,” he stuck the ice-cream out, “You wanna try?”

Leo made a face, “Don’t know.”

“C’mon, I know you’re curious,” Poseidon said. Leo stuck his tongue out and took a little lick. He made a face.

“That _is _fucking weird.”

“Right?”

“Try mine.”

“Oh my god, that’s so much better.”

They started laughing. Half an hour later they walked back out into the sunny street. Leo sighed, content. Poseidon was smiling warmly.

“What are you smiling about? You look like a psychopath with that mask.”

Poseidon poked him in the cheek, “I was just thinking that this feels like a date.”

Leo looked at him. There was a warm, fluttery feeling in his chest. And just like that reality started crashing down. What was he _doing?! _This was the enemy and he was going on _ice-cream dates _with him?! What if the team had showed up to try save him and didn’t find him?!

Poseidon frowned, “Hephaestus, what’s wrong?”

Leo couldn’t do this. He had to snap out of this fantasy. He turned on his heel to the road.

“No! Don’t run!”

A car was speeding down the street. Without thinking, Leo jumped in front of it.

***

Leo opened his eyes. He was in the office.

“No!” he yelled, “Why?!”

Seconds later Poseidon came bursting through the door, “Hephaestus!” he exclaimed, and ran to the boy. Leo flinched, expecting to get hit, and instead found himself enveloped in warm arms that squeezed too hard, “What the fuck?! Why’d you do that?! Don’t fucking scare me like that?!”

“You’re warm,” tears gathered in Leo’s eyes. He didn’t know what was going on. It felt like the whole world was changing. Why was he being hugged by a man, when he should be out completing missions? Why did it feel so good to be touched?

Poseidon pulled back, and Leo wished he’d take his mask off, “Yeah,” he breathed, “Did you not expect me to be?”

Leo shook his head, a helpless tear tumbled down his cheek. Poseidon kissed him.

It was so sudden that Leo didn’t know how to react. Poseidon’s lips were warm, surprisingly soft. He kissed Leo gently, like he was scared he’d melt, just a press of the lips really.

Leo slapped him. Poseidon stumbled back, cheek red.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” he panicked. Leo had never seen him panicked before. The whole situation was so ridiculous he started to laugh. “What?” Poseidon seemed confused by the sudden change in atmosphere.

“So you were serious?” Leo grinned, “You _do _like me?”

The blush on Poseidon’s face was visible even under the mask, “Yeah. I fucking told you.”

“The others are never going to believe me,” Leo shook his head, amused, then looked around. He sighed, his good mood evaporating, “Why am I still here? Why not my normal respawn?”

“I’m telling you, there’s a mission,” Poseidon replied.

Leo sat down on the floor frustrated. He could feel a headache coming on, “Is your mission to woo me?”

“Dunno. I hope so,” Poseidon smiled, “Is it working?”

Leo smiled back, “Fuck off,” he flopped backwards on the floor like he had on the sand, “Since we’ll probably be here a while, and you got me food and kissed me, you might as well tell me your name.”

Poseidon was flicking through the folder again, “You know my name.”

“Your _real _name.”

Poseidon froze. His fingers fluttered over the folder, “Oh,” he laughed awkwardly, “Nobody’s asked me that in a long time...”

“Yeah,” Leo replied, “me neither.”

“Really?” Poseidon seemed surprised, “Aren’t superhero teams all buddy-buddy?”

“Yeah, well,” Leo looked at the ground, “You saw what my teams like...,” the words hung tensely in the air. Poseidon broke that tension.

“I’m Percy.” He said. Leo looked up at him, giggled despite himself, “My favourite colour if blue.”

“I’m Leo,” the other boy replied, “I like watching _The Office.”_

As if in reply to that, one of the computer screens lit up, and an episode of the _Office _began to play. Leo’s eyes widened and Percy grinned, “Hey! Entertainment!”

***

The sun was setting, Leo was laying on the floor under Percy’s jacket, miserably staring at the ceiling.

“They’ll come for me,” he said.

“It’s been two days,” Percy was pouring over more newspapers he had gathered, “Maybe it’s like the island situation.”

“No,” Leo closed his eyes, clinging onto hope, “We’re still in Olympus. They’ll definitely come. If not, I’ll go to them.”

“You’ll have to kill me first,” Percy teased.

“Don’t tempt me.”

The relationship between them was weird. During the two days they had become more close than Leo had ever gotten with any of his teammates. They got coffee, ice-cream, ordered takeaway and watched _The Office, _since it was the only thing on. They sprayed themselves with deodorant in corner shops because there were no showers, and brushed their teeth in the sink in the corner, and bickered, and flirted...

But the reality of the situation was unavoidable; Percy was a villain, and Leo’s captor, and Leo couldn’t get out. Honestly, the more time he spent with Percy the less he _wanted _to get out. He didn’t want to fight with this man, and go back to formal codenames and watching green dots on a computer screen.

“Hey,” Leo said softly from the floor.

“Hmm?” Percy looked up from the newspapers, “Are you going to philosophise?”

“Aren’t you worried they’ll come for me?”

Percy smiled gently, “I’ll just kidnap you again.”

“I won’t like you back,” Leo said.

“Eh,” Percy didn’t seem bothered, “I’m hoping for a kiss out of boredom or something.”

Leo blushed, remembering Percy’s lips against his. They had felt nice. So nice. Leo wanted to repeat it, but didn’t know how to ask without admitting all the shit he’s been hiding in his heart. Without admitting he was a traitor.

“I did everything right,” Leo said softly, looking at the ceiling, “I did the training, went to the academy...then why am I still not good enough?”

“You _are _good enough. Maybe you just weren’t meant to be a hero,” Poseidon said, but it wasn’t in a mean way. Leo sniffled, “Hey, you’re not gonna cry, are you?”

“Fuck off.”

“Do you want a hug?”

“Fuck _off.”_

Percy was hovering above him suddenly, pinning Leo to the floor, “Do you want a kiss?”

“F-Fuck...,” Leo squeaked. The room was filling with shadows as night fell. Percy leaned in, their noses brushed. He stayed there though, an inch away from Leo, teasing. Subconsciously the hero arched up into him. Percy grinned.

“I knew you’d like me ba-“

Leo pulled him down by the shirt. Their mouths crashed together. It was as if all the feelings of frustration that had build up over the last two days had come crashing down. Leo melted into the floor, forgot his loyalties and the missions. All he could think about was Percy, his hot mouth, the hands pushing his wrists into the floor.

Leo never thought anything in this world could be so intense.

A bang sounded down the hallway and they jumped apart, red and panting.

“W-What was that?” Leo stuttered.

“I’ll go check,” Percy scrambled to his feet and ran out of the room. Leo buried his face in his hands, embarrassed. He had no idea what he was doing.

He heard shouting down the hallway and tensed – then havoc, banging and screaming and throwing things. He jumped to his feet, heart pounding. _Percy, _he thought.

It went silent.

His team didn’t burst in dramatically. They just...opened the door. It had always been unlocked. There was no key.

“Sorry!” Hecate was at the head, golden hair curly, golden eyes anxious, “We only just managed to get the mission, and I had to cast a tracking spell-“

“It’s fine,” Leo smiled palely, world tilting again, wondering why his stomach felt so heavy. He wanted to run out into the hallway and get Percy, but reality had brutally set back in.

Bellona stormed to him, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” she demanded.

“No,” Leo wanted to cry, “I’m fine.”

“Good,” Athena sighed. No hugs, no smiles, “Hephaestus you really have to be more alert. We’ve wasted a mission trying to save you.”

Leo’s stomach fell, “You guys gave me up,” he said weakly.

“Whatever,” Athena said, “let’s go.”

“No!” Leo barked, and everyone turned to face him, surprised. “Where’s Poseidon?”

“Dead,” Hermes said, “Probably respawning in some hellish ditch that he crawled out of. What’s it to you.”

_No. _He was gone. He hadn’t respawned in the office. The mission had fucked it all up.

“Come on, Hephaestus,” Bellona hurried him.

“No!” Leo barked, anger flaring inside him, “I’m tired of you guys treating me like shit,” he snapped. Hermes started laughing as everyone else gaped.

“Excuse me?!” Ares demanded.

“I know I’m not a fighter,” Leo continued passionately, “But I’m important part of this team and I’m tired of being overlooked.”

Athena sighed, “Hephaestus, you’re being selfish. We came all this way to get you. We wouldn’t do that if you weren’t part of the team..”

“Come on,” Mars grumbled, “let’s go,” he picked up the folder from the desk, the same one Poseidon had been fiddling with the past few days. “We’ve got the maps.”

“Maps?” Leo asked.

“For the next mission,” Hecate supplied, “it said they were here.”

Leo wanted to be sick, laugh, and cry at the same time. He picked the last, a hysteric laugh bubbling in his throat.

“What now?” Bellona asked, annoyed.

“You didn’t come for me,” tears gathered in Leo’s eyes and he blinked them back, angry, “You came for those fucking maps.”

“Stop making a scene,” Athena hissed.

“Scene?! Scene?!” Leo yelled, “I’ll give you a fucking scene!”

He raised his hands, which felt like they were burning with all the anger and deceit he felt. And just like that, everything came pouring out in the form of flames. They engulfed the whole room, the whole building, set alight to the folder Mars was holding.

“Hephaestus!” someone yelled “Stop!”

But he didn’t, not until they were all standing in a pile of ash, surrounded by factories. Only then did his flames subside, but his eyes still burned with fury. The moon was heavy in the sky. His teammates looked at him in horror.

“He destroyed the maps...,” Mars whispered.

“Fuck your maps,” Leo spat.

The neon green sign appeared above their heads, illuminating their faces. Leo felt the pull of teleportation and he squeezed his eyes shut. However when he opened them he wasn’t standing on top of the building with the teammates he had just betrayed. Instead, he stood in a dark room.

“What...,” he whispered. Outside police sirens echoed and Leo turned – there was a window behind him, an ordinary one with the blinds rolled up. The warm, golden light of the street-lamp fell in. Leo glued his face to the glass, and saw dingy buildings around, but past it a familiar skyline. He was still in Olympus, he just didn’t know where.

“I broke it,” he whispered, and turned around. He saw a small lamp nearby and flicked it on. A warm glow filled the room.

Leo was in a shitty, tiny living room. There was a beat up couch in one corner, next to an ancient TV and a coffee table that looked like it was made before the dinosaurs. There were four doors, all closed.

“Hello?” Leo called tentatively, but nobody replied.

He tried the first door and found himself in a bathroom; small, dingy, but relatively clean with a curtain decorated with little waves. A single, blue toothbrush stood on the sink.

Leo moved onto the next door, and found himself in a cramped kitchen. He opened the fridge and found a bit of mouldy cheese and a single tomato. Leo backed out quickly and opened the third door.

It was a bedroom, bigger than the other rooms with a huge floor-to-ceiling window taking up the opposite wall. A double bed stood by a wall, a dresser, some posters, a bedside table. A man’s room.

Leo backed out of there quickly, feeling like he was invading privacy. He headed for the fifth door, but when he jerked it open he found it led to a damp-smelling corridor. Music came from one of the other flats on the floor and, not knowing why, Leo didn’t take the way out. Instead he slammed the door shut.

So much had happened in the last few days, and he needed answers as to why everything was changing.

He returned to the bedroom, deciding to snoop around and figure out what brought him here. He flipped on the bedside lamp, and opened the top drawer. There he found a stack of photos. He started to sift through them. There was a gorgeous, dark-haired boy in all of them, smiling with friends, with a woman that looked to be his mother...his smiled was so familiar...

“What are you doing?” Percy asked, and Leo whirled around. In the doorway of the room, looking as shocked as Leo was, stood the boy from the photos.

“O-Oh...,” he whispered. When they had laid on the floor of the office together, a good few feet apart, talking while falling asleep, Leo had wondered what the man looked like below the mask...

“S-Sorry!” Leo held up his hands, remembering where he was, “I shouldn’t be here, I know, I was just curious and um, please don’t shoot!”

“I don’t have a gun, moron,” Percy said. The two stared at each other, and now that the danger had seemed to pass Leo was able to take in the man – no, the _boy _– in his surroundings.

Poseidon, the most feared villain in all of Olympus, couldn’t have been older than twenty, with messy black hair and big, alluring green eyes that were currently drilling holes into Leo. He wore a loose orange hoodie and jeans, and had dropped a bag of food by the door. In the dim light of the dingy living-room, he looked like a normal kid, albeit very handsome.

Leo felt himself blushing.

“They killed you.”

“Yeah,” Percy breathed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I’m kinda used to that. And I’m in my usual re-spawn,” he gestured around the bedroom. Then he frowned, “But why are _you _here?”

Leo felt heat crawl up his throat and he twisted his hands together, so nervous he thought he might faint.

“U-Um...,” his voice came out an octave higher than usual. He laughed nervously, “I-I...I did something bad, Perce,” his eyes filled with tears.

Percy’s shoulder slumped and he was in front of Leo suddenly. “Hey...,” he whispered softly, and reached for Leo’s face, then remembered himself and stepped back, “tell me.”

“I-I...,” Leo took a deep breath, “I went off on my team. I-I thought...I thought I’d be happy when I’d finally get rescued, but...they made me feel like shit. They _always _make me feel like shit, and I...,” he shook his head, fighting tears, “Being with you...I finally felt happy. Wanted. When they told me you were gone I was so scared. I know we respawn, I know we can’t die, but I was terrified I’d never see you again-“ he choked on a sob. Percy broke, and gathered him up in his arms.

“Hey, hey, c’mon stupid, I’m right here,” he whispered softly, lovingly. Leo clung onto him and sobbed into his shoulder.

“I-I burned it to the ground,” he cried, “A-And it said I completed the mission. A-And then I respawned here.”

Percy squeezed him harder, “It doesn’t matter,” he stroked Leo’s curls, “Fuck the missions. I don’t care about them. I only want to be with you and eat ice-cream. If I can just do that, I’ll be happy.”

Leo pulled back, nose snotty and eyes red, “B-But then you’ll be an NPC.”

Percy smiled, “I don’t mind being an NPC with you,” he tucked Leo’s curl behind his ear. His expression darkened, “But your teammates...superheroes are vengeful. They won’t let us be.”

Leo clenched his jaw. Now that he had his happiness right here, in this dingy apartment, he wouldn’t let them ruin it, “Let them come,” he growled, “I’ll burn them too.”

Percy started at him, and for a moment he looked shocked. Then he kissed Leo passionately. They kissed fiercely for a moment, then he kiss slowed. Percy cupped Leo’s cheeks and stroked them, and Leo leaned into him. They had all the time in the world to do this.

When they broke apart they were both illuminated by a familiar green light.

Above them, a neon sign read: MISSION SUCCESSFUL.

“No!” Leo’s eyes widened and he pulled Percy against him, clinging onto him “No, I don’t want to respawn, I don’t want to leave-“

But nothing happened. Water dripped quietly in the tap in the kitchen as the boy’s held their breaths. Finally, after laboriously long minutes, they drew apart.

“Nothing’s happening,” Percy whispered.

A dialogue window opened in front of them suddenly, and words appeared in the air.

NEW OBJECTIVE: SIDE SWITCH.

Leo stared at it, “What does it mean?” he breathed.

“I think,” Percy cracked a grin, “I’ve just acquired a sidekick.”

They looked at each other. Leo took in the ridiculousness of the situation. He started to laugh, and within seconds Percy was laughing too. They laughed and kissed all night.

For the first time since Leo could remember, he felt happy, his heart soaring. Maybe being bad was going to be better than being good.

ORIGIN STORY COMPLETE. PRESS **X **TO CONTINUE GAME.


	16. The Hybrid (Luke x Ethan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry for the long hiatus  
don't have an excuse, just didn't have any motivation to write  
but I'm back (hopefully?)  
Thanks for the continued support !!!

**Ethan x Luke where Luke adopts a cat hybrid Ethan, who doesn’t speak very good English but then after a couple of months Ethan warms up to Luke. Eye patch included and they have some sex? (bottom Ethan cause he’s a hella bottom)  
for Yuuya_Azusa_20**

** **

Luke Castellan never thought he’d adopt a hybrid; in his humble opinion it was really weird, like having a child or – in some cases – a sex slave. The news were always ripe with debate about hybrid rights and consent and, in Luke’s eyes, hybrids were more human than animal, and those animal characteristics weren’t enough to convince Luke that hybrids were ‘pets.’

And yet here he was, standing by his couch and making intense eye-contact with a cat hybrid crouched in a cage, and it felt like his life depended on that eye-contact. The hybrid’s lip was curled back, revealing sharp incisors, and his good cat-like eye seemed to glow green. His other eye was gone, a deep, ugly scar where it had once been.

Luke had gone into the pet shop that happened to be next door to his shitty London flat to buy food for his fish. As always, the back area of the shop was crowded with people gawking at the hybrid enclosure, where lost and abandoned hybrids had been put in hopes of getting adopted. Luke had barely spared that area a glance and was busy looking at the fish food, just wanting to get out of there and collapse on his couch after a long day at work.

Just as he was reaching for a cheap tub of fish food, the commotion started.

“Hey! Get that hybrid!” someone shouted as people screamed; the huge cage banged open and the next thing Luke knew was that something big and dark was racing straight for him. Before he could move aside, the hybrid collided with him and sent Luke stumbling backwards; the surprised blond dropped the fish food and caught himself before he fell, instinctively cradling the hybrid protectively into his chest.

The hybrid didn’t like that – he jumped back and hissed at Luke furiously. Luke started; the hybrid was in a horrible state, his dark, overgrown hair hid half of his face, leaving only one green eye visible and it burned with fury. He wore nothing but an oversized, ratty old sweater, there was straw in his hair and cuts on his exposed, pale legs. Two black cat ears stuck out of his hair. And he _stank. _

“Get back here!” the store owner appeared behind the peeved hybrid and before Luke could react, he tasered the hybrid in the back. He crumpled to the floor immediately with a soft, pitiful mewl, and two more workers hauled him away as Luke stared in shock. The other on-lookers quickly exited the shop, but Luke felt an anger burn inside him.

“What is the meaning of this?” he hissed at the pet store owner.

“Apologies, sir,” the man smiled apologetically, “He’s a new one, really violent and disruptive. We have to keep him in a separate cage,” he gestured behind himself where the workers were hauling the hybrid’s limp body into a small, cramped cage next to the big one where about four other hybrids were lazing around, well groomed and pretty, “because he’s attacked the others before,” the owner sighed, “Honestly, I think he’s a lost cause; he’s clearly been abused but he refuses to let us bathe or groom him, and with his behaviour he will never get adopted...”

Luke cleared his throat, feeling awkward, “Right,” he said, looking at the curled up body of the hybrid in the cage. He looked tiny, “What happens if nobody adopts him?”

The owner shrugged, “We don’t have the facilities to hold hybrids long term. If nobody wants him then we’ll just have to euthanize him,” he seemed genuinely sad, “I hate to do it, but the alternative is putting him out on the street, and with predators all around he’d end up in a hybrid sex ring in no time – oh, would you like to buy the fish food? It’s on the house, sir, for your troubles.”

Luke left the shop in a daze and barely remembered walking up the stairs to his flat, or letting himself in. He showered, mind blank, and instead of watching some shitty TV before sleeping, he crawled straight into his bed. But sleep evaded him; he couldn’t stop thinking about the cat-hybrid, the poor state he was in, the anger in his face. What horrible things must have happened to him for him to be so aggressive?

The next day after work, as Luke passed the store, he felt a strong compelling to go inside. There he stood over the cage of the cat-hybrid, who was curled up on the floor, back to the gawking customers.

The owner was shocked when Luke asked to adopt the hybrid, but was more than happy to get the paperwork out. By the time five minutes passed, Luke was the owner of a new ‘pet.’

“What’s his name?” he asked the two workers who helped lug the cage with the hybrid in it up the stairs; the hybrid didn’t move.

“Patches,” one of them replied. Luke made a face, “But he doesn’t answer to it, so you may call him what you like.”

_Well I won’t call him that, _Luke thought and tipped the workers as they put the cage down in his living room. Only when the door shut behind them did Luke realise what he had done. His little one-bedroom flat was no place for a cat-hybrid.

“Fuck,” Luke rubbed a hand down his face, “Okay, don’t kill me.”

He approached the cage and opened the door. The hybrid didn’t move. Luke waited patiently as the foul smell permeated through his flat.

“Hey,” he said, “I’m gonna give you a bath, okay?”

The hybrid didn’t move. Luke poked him, but he still didn’t move. His tail laid limply on the floor. _Is he dead? _The blond slid his arms under the hybrid’s arms and pulled him out of the cage; he weighed barely anything and felt awkwardly skinny in Luke’s arms.

“Hey...,” the blond looked at the hybrid’s face; his one visible eye was half-open and glazed over; he seemed unaware of where he was. _They drugged him, _Luke realised, and gritted his teeth in anger. He hauled the hybrid’s limp body into his bathroom and put him in the bath.

“I’m going to take your clothes off, okay?” he said, “I need to clean you up.” The hybrid didn’t respond, and Luke didn’t know what to do – the clothes the hybrid was wearing were soiled and he looked like he hadn’t seen soap in weeks. Many people wouldn’t have even asked, but Luke had read the studies about hybrids; sure, they couldn’t talk, but they had the same brain capacity as humans and could be taught things. They weren’t any less just because they were different.

The cat-hybrid didn’t put up a struggle as Luke pulled his jumper off. Sure enough he was naked underneath, just as Luke had suspected, with ribs pressing up against his pale skin. Luke turned on the warm water – the hybrid flinched, and looked at him, eye managing to focus a little.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said, bringing the shower-head down, “I know cats hate water.”

The hybrid hissed and tried to feebly get out of the bath-tub, but Luke wrapped an arm around him to keep him in place, “Hey,” he said as gently as he could, “It’s okay, this won’t take long, I promise.”

The water started to wake the hybrid up and Luke knew he had to work quickly. He lathered up the hybrid’s body and hurriedly washed his hair. Every few seconds the boy – because that’s what Luke was starting to see him as, the more he looked at his human body - would try to climb out of the tub, and Luke would have to force him to stay there. At first this made the hybrid teary, and he’d mewl pathetically under his breath, but then he grew more and more agitated.

“We’re almost done, relax,” Luke muttered, irritated that he had this burden on him now, a burden that didn’t want to cooperate.

He hauled the cat out of the bath and bundled him up in a towel, a little forcefully. The boy could stand on his own now, and he glared up at Luke as the man dried him – the hybrid was short, his head only reaching Luke’s chin.

“Alright, now for a haircut, I don’t know if you have fleas,” he pulled out an electric razor. The hybrid flinched and backed up until his back hit a wall, and started hissing at Luke when he approached, “Come on, don’t make this difficult.”

The hybrid tried to dash for the bathroom door but Luke caught him since he was still sluggish. The cat tried to scratch him but Luke managed to wrestle him to the floor, pinning his arms beneath his knees.

“Stop it!” Luke snapped as the boy struggled, “It’s not like I fucking wanted you, so stop making this more difficult that it has to be! Do you want to end up dead?!”

The cat ignored him and continued to struggle, but he was pinned down and Luke was stronger, and he shoved the razor into the hybrid’s hair. The cat squealed and protested, but Luke didn’t care as he hacked away at his hair.

His fringe fell away, and that’s when Luke saw his other eye for the first time. Or the lack of it. He froze in shock, and the hybrid slumped in defeat. The bathroom was filled only with the hum of the razor as Luke stared at the ugly, mangled scar on the left side of the boy’s face, where his eye should have been.

“Who did this to you?” he asked.

The hybrid turned his head as if in shame. Luke’s heart clenched.

“Hey,” he whispered, “Hey, I’m sorry,” he tried to touch the hybrid, which resulted in him almost getting bitten. The cat didn’t put up any more fight though, and let Luke shave his head until all that was left was short stubble.

Luke went back into the living room, and the hybrid remained on the floor, naked and defeated. Luke brought pillows and a blanket to the couch, making a kind of nest for the hybrid.

However the boy didn’t appreciate the gesture, because seconds later Luke had to forcefully pull him away from the door as he tried to make a run for it.

“Are you crazy?!” Luke demanded as he forced the struggling boy back into the living room, “Do you know how many psychos are out there?! You’re fucking naked as well, do you not think?!” he threw the cat onto the couch, and the hybrid crouched down and hissed at him furiously.

“Yeah, fuck you too, you little shit,” Luke snapped and locked the door, putting the key in his pocket. He went into his bedroom, got a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and when he came back he found the hybrid crouched in his cage, ignoring the lovely nest Luke made for him.

They stared at each other for a very long time, the hybrid’s teeth exposed.

“You know what, Patches,” Luke broke the eye-contact first, angrily throwing the hybrid’s clothes onto the couch, “Have it your way. Enjoy your night, you wanker.”

And he stomped back into his bedroom, a part of him wishing that when he woke up in the morning, the hybrid was gone.

***

To Luke’s dismay, and maybe secret relief, the pissed-off hybrid was very much still in his flat in the morning. The blond run down to the pet shop, asked what to feed the hybrid, and then run back upstairs. The response of ‘milk and canned fish’ wasn’t satisfactory for him so he fixed porridge for his new pet, made him a ham and cheese sandwich, and then ran to his car because he was already late for work.

After three days, the hybrid hadn’t escaped out of the window and although he continued to hiss at Luke and try to bite him any time the blond came near, he wolfed down his food and took to sleeping on the couch, so Luke could get rid of the smelly cage.

It was on the fourth day that Luke accepted the fact that he was probably stuck with this pet for a while, and went clothes shopping for him. He had no idea what hybrids wore, and so he ended up just buying a few t-shirts, some underwear, two pairs of sweatpants, socks and trainers. He was on his way home, exhausted with the prospect of having another hissy-fight with his ‘cat,’ when he passed a Halloween store. It was the start of October, and stores like these were popping up all over his neighbourhood. But it wasn’t the holiday that interested Luke – it was the eye-patch on one of the mannequins.

On the whim, Luke bought it.

“I’m home!” he called unenthusiastically as he came into the flat with his shopping bags, toeing off his shoes. Ethan was curled up on the couch, clearly having just woken up from his nap, cheeks flushed. He glared at Luke when he came in.

“Did you brush your teeth?” Luke asked, and the cat bared his teeth at him in a very threatening manner. Luke rolled his eyes and glanced at the TV. _Saw II _was playing; Luke raised an eyebrow, “Since when do you know how to work the remote?” he asked, and the hybrid didn’t reply, “I know you’re planning to murder me, stupid cat,” he grumbled and put down his bags, “I bought you clothes,” he told the boy, who peeked over the edge of the couch, curiosity spiking, “Want to have a look?”

The hybrid slinked towards him, keeping the bags between him and Luke but delving into them with a child-like excitement. Luke watched his good eye sparkle as he pulled out the t-shirts.

“Nobody got you anything in a while, huh?” Luke asked. The hybrid hissed at him.

“I’d like to give you a name,” Luke said, “Or perhaps you’d like to pick a name for yourself...”

The hybrid just hissed at him again. Luke sighed.

“Okay,” he rubbed a hand down his face tiredly, then remembered the eye-patch, “Oh, right,” he pulled it out of his pocket and held it out to the hybrid. The cat looked up and his good eye widened. Suddenly Luke felt stupid, “Uh...it was with a pirate costume. I didn’t know if you’d want it so I-“

The hybrid snatched it out of his hands and cradled it to his chest with a pained look on his face. Luke’s heart twisted and suddenly all he wanted to do was protect this boy. The hybrid started to clumsily try to pull the eye patch over his short hair and ears.

“Here,” Luke knelt in front of him, and the hybrid flinched, “May I?” the blond held out his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening way. The hybrid eyed up his hands, then glanced at his face, then back at his hands. Slowly, hesitantly, he placed the eye patch in Luke’s hands.

The blond fastened the eye patch in place, the whole time the hybrid was stiff as a board.

“There,” Luke stopped touching him the moment he could, “All done.”

The hybrid ran to the mirror in the hallway in his too-big t-shirt, stopped, and stared at himself. Luke watched with bated breath as a smile slowly appeared on the hybrid’s face; his tail flickered up with excitement, and Luke realised in that moment that his ‘pet’ was quite lovely.

He stood up hurriedly, “Alright!” he proclaimed too loudly, shocked by his own realisation, “I’m gonna make dinner! What do you want?”

The cat surprised him by dashing to the coffee table in front of the couch and pulling up a leaflet. He threw it across the room and it fluttered to Luke’s feet. The blond picked it up, and burst out laughing. The cat grumbled under his breath and glared.

“Sorry, sorry,” the blond continued grinning, “You wanna order pizza, huh? Alright. Pizza it is.”

***

For a week and a half later things continued in a similar pattern – Luke would wake up in the morning and his cat would still be asleep so he’d leave some breakfast out for him – the hybrid started to branch out, enjoying eggs on toast and coffee with a lot of milk. Luke would go to work his shitty office job, and come back to find his hybrid watching TV. He had mastered simple words from all the shows and movies he watched; yes, no, food, bed, pee, want. Luke was pretty sure he also knew the word ‘please’ but chose not to use it. Sometimes Luke would find him with a book in his lap, his slender fingers tracing over the words as he mouthed along. He was a fast learner, but very stubborn. He hated Luke touching him, but reluctantly let the blond wash him every few days.

Luke hated to admit it, but he grew very fond of his angry cat, and looked forward to coming back to him every day – he kept the doors locked though,

One day, when Luke was setting a bowl of spaghetti Bolognese in front of the hybrid, the cat held up a magazine and pointed at an old article about Ethan Hawke.

“Him,” the hybrid said.

Luke raised an eyebrow, “Uhh...he’s an actor. Why? You interested in him or something?”

The hybrid shook his head in frustration and tapped on the title of the article, “N-na...name,” he said with some difficulty. Luke blinked.

“Oh!” he realised, “Ethan, the name. You like the name? Is that what you want to be called?” the hybrid nodded passionately. Luke grinned, “Alright, from now on you’re Ethan.”

Shyly, the hybrid smiled at him. Luke felt lightheaded and quickly hurried back to the kitchen.

But that night something weird happened. Luke was dead asleep when he suddenly felt the bed dip. He jerked up into a sitting position, alert, and found Ethan frozen at the foot of the bed.

Luke blinked, “Uh...if you’ve come to piss in my bed I’ll dunk you in the bath.”

The remark didn’t earn him a glare or a hiss from the cat like usual, instead, Ethan just looked at look with a dazed, unfocused expression. His cheeks were red.

“Hey, you okay?” Luke asked.

Ethan didn’t respond, simply burrowing under the covers and curling up at the foot of the bed. Luke was confused – Ethan hated being near him, so why was he suddenly...

“Ethan?” Luke asked, but the cat didn’t respond. The human reached for his phone and dialled NHS-24. A lady picked up, much too cheerful for how late it was.

“_NHS-24 how may I help?_” she asked.

“Uh, yeah, hi,” Luke said groggily, “It’s about my hybrid, he’s acting a bit weird. I think he might be sick.”

“_Alright, sir, and what breed is your hybrid?_”

“Uh...cat,” Luke said, feeling awkward knowing that Ethan could hear him.

“And what are the symptoms?”

“He’s just...usually he hates being anywhere near me and he hisses at me-,” Ethan let out a little mewl in response to this, and his tail poked out from beneath the covers, swinging, “But just now he’s come into my bed and curled up at the foot of it.”

“_Oh,” _the operator chuckled, “_That is perfectly normal for cat-hybrids. It’s probably just in his heat period.”_

“H-Heat period?” Luke stuttered.

“_Yes, once a month a cat will go into a heat period, and this happens with hybrids too. It means they are ready to breed, and your hybrid probably just wants some affection or to be close to you.”_

“But he’s a guy,” Luke said.

“_Well, he’s also not a cat. Only female cats have a heat, however in hybrids both genders can experience it. Do you have any questions?”_

“Yeah...,” Luke frowned, “What do I _do?”_

“_Just give him what he needs. If you have any further questions or there are more symptoms, please call back.”_

“Alright,” Luke said, dazed, “Thank you.”

He hung up the phone and looked at the lump at the foot of his bed, heart hammering, “Eth?” he asked softly, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” the hybrid replied grumpily.

Luke swallowed, “Do you want me to...I don’t know, give you affection?”

“No,” Ethan hissed.

“Alright. Are you just going to stay down there?”

A soft, little mewl in reply.

“Okay,” Luke laid back down, staring at the wall. He could feel the mattress vibrating gently as Ethan purred. _Heat...heat..._the words circled in Luke’s head. He was hyper-aware of how close he was to the other boy. He tried not to think about what Ethan was feeling just a few inches away, but he couldn’t stop himself, and his dick got hard.

“Going to the bathroom,” Luke muttered and escaped the room hurriedly. The guilt of wanking over his ‘pet’ would have been too much, so Luke just stood under the cold shower for a very long time, telling himself over and over that it was just a physical reaction.

When he came back to bed he found it empty.

***

A few days after that Luke and Ethan were watching TV, sat on the two opposite ends of the couch (after the whole heat incident Ethan didn’t throw a hissy-fit over sharing his couch with the blond) when Luke thought of something.

“Hey,” he turned to his cat, “How would you feel about a late night walk? You’ve been cooped up in here for two weeks.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up like fireworks, and Luke’s heart fluttered in his chest.

“Yes!” the cat gasped enthusiastically, tail swinging, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Luke laughed, “Alright, I’ll borrow you a jacket, it’s pretty chilly out there.”

The street outside their flat was empty, the street-lamps casting a warm golden glow onto the pavement. Luke’s breath misted in front of his face and Ethan was bundled up in a winter jacket that was too big for him, a hat on his head that Luke had to cut holes into to allow for his ears to poke out.

They started walking in silence but Luke noticed that Ethan shifted closer to him when they passed the dark store-front of the pet shop. The blond reached for his hand automatically, and Ethan flinched away with a hiss.

“No,” he said.

“Sorry,” Luke mumbled.

They continued walking in silence and Luke kept glancing at Ethan out of the corner of his eye – the boy was watching everything with awe, his ears and tail twitching. When they passed in more shadowed strips of the street, Ethan’s eye would light up like a torch. He had never looked more like a cat.

It was a lovely, chilly walk that helped Luke clear his head; he thought everything was going well, until they passed by a park, and suddenly, just like that, Ethan was taking off.

“Ethan!” Luke yelled, and sprinted into the dark park after the cat, but he never had any chance of catching the fast boy. He ran helplessly down the path, screaming his name, but Ethan was gone.

Luke couldn’t believe it. He stopped when he was out of breath and his lungs burned, and bent over to catch his breath. He had stupidly thought Ethan trusted him, _liked _him, that he wouldn’t want to run away...and now...

Bitter tears gathered in Luke’s eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He was furious with himself, and terrified. Ethan was impulsive, emotional – he had no idea of the consequences of running away. He was small and pretty, or Luke thought so anyway, and so innocent – what if someone caught him and did more horrible things to him? Luke wanted to be sick.

He spent the rest of the night running through the park and looking for his hybrid, calling his name and giving himself blisters. Finally when the sky started to lighten and Luke was exhausted he decided to go home and phone the police.

He found Ethan curled up by his front door. Relief flooded him so violently that Luke’s legs almost gave out.

“You came back,” he whispered.

Ethan looked up at him, his face full of apology and confusion, “Lost,” he muttered, “I...,” he frowned, “wait.”

“Oh,” Luke exhaled, “You got lost and came here?” he asked, and Ethan nodded. Luke shuffled closer, “I’m sorry. I thought you’d run away, I was looking for you.”

Ethan looked away, “I won’t...run.”

Luke wanted to cry. He reached down and gently brushed his fingers over one of Ethan’s ears. The cat tensed but didn’t move away, “I’m glad.”

When Luke let them inside Ethan kicked off his shoes and curled up on the couch immediately, burrowing under the blankets. Luke smiled fondly.

“Tired, huh?” he said gently, pulling off his shoes. He picked up the remote, “Want the TV on?”

The hybrid nodded gently.

“You say ‘please if you want something,” Luke said. The hybrid glanced at him, “Try with me..._please.”_

“P-P...,” the cat glared at the TV, “P-ea...,” he puffed his cheeks in frustration and shoved his face into the pillow. Luke chuckled and then petted the hybrid’s short hair – he couldn’t stop himself.

“It’s okay, you’ll get the hang of it eventually,” he turned on the TV and put on the episode of ‘Friends’ Ethan had been watching earlier, “Good night.”

Ethan sat up abruptly, his eye burning as he stared at Luke. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, then dropped his gaze, “S-Sorry,” he stuttered out. Luke looked at him helplessly, fingertips burning to touch the cat. In that moment he wanted nothing more than for Ethan to trust him.

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Luke managed, and hurried to his bedroom. He didn’t sleep much that night.

***

Two weeks later Ethan’s hair had grown back in, thick and raven-black and awfully soft; he let Luke trim it so that it no longer covered his scar and sometimes, if the blond was lucky, he’d let him pet him. He was looking healthier each day.

Luke was determined for their communication to get better; Ethan didn’t like being touched and so Luke wanted to convey the affection he reluctantly felt for the problematic cat through words. He borrowed a bunch of old English textbooks from a co-worker and spent the weekends teaching Ethan how to read, write and speak. Once he tried to bring his friend, Thalia, over, but Ethan freaked out. If Luke went out on the weekend and came back late he always found Ethan waiting up for him, glaring at him for some reason.

Luke started leaving the door unlocked during the day, and showed Ethan how to lock it if he wanted to, but Ethan never went outside alone, though he and Luke frequently went on midnight walks together – Luke got used to Ethan getting overwhelmed and his cat instincts kicking in and didn’t chase after him when he dashed off, always waiting patiently at the gate of the park for the boy to return some time later, breathless, flushed and happy.

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and Luke came out of his room where he had been doing work on his laptop to find Ethan with his face glued to the window, his one eye a brilliant green in the sunshine.

“Who are you spying on?” Luke teased. Ethan shot him a half-hearted glare.

“Pretty,” he muttered.

_Yeah you are, _Luke thought, then mentally face-palmed, reminding himself to not creep on his vulnerable...friend? Luke didn’t know what to call Ethan; rowdy roommate seemed more fitting than pet.

The rowdy roommate stomped up to Luke.

“What?” the blond asked as Ethan looked up at him determinedly, his ears twitching.

“Outside,” he said, “I want to go.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up, “Right now?” he asked. Ethan looked hurt.

“Are you...,” he looked for the word and couldn’t find it, and he looked visibly frustrated, “You...,” he pointed at Luke, “...of me? _Ugh,” _he groaned and Luke saw anger spark in his eyes.

He reached out and gently petted Ethan’s hair. The last few times he had done it the boy didn’t flinch, and now he calmed down visibly. Luke smiled.

“Let’s go get a coffee. I was going to make one anyway. My treat,” he said, and marvelled at how gorgeously Ethan’s face lit up. They put on their jackets and scarves and were out in the chilly, sunny afternoon five minutes later.

“Fresh air,” Ethan sighed contently, arching his face into the sun. Luke smiled.

“Come on, I know a good coffee place.”

It was relatively quiet for a Saturday and Ethan stuck close to Luke as they walked. They made it to the cafe quickly and got a little table by the window. Luke ordered a coffee, and he bought Ethan a hot chocolate with marshmallows.

“Wow,” the boy melted after the first sip, ears flattening, a gentle purr rising from his chest. His tail flickered with content, and there was a ring of chocolate around his mouth. Luke laughed.

“Good?” he asked.

“Good,” Ethan thought for a moment, “Delicious.”

“Yeah,” Luke smiled, “Look at you with your big words.”

Ethan stuck his tongue out at the blond, which just made him laugh harder, “Which TV show taught you that, huh?”

A girl materialised by their table suddenly, and Ethan curled in on himself a little, tensing.

“Excuse me,” the girl said cheerfully, “I just wanted to tell you that you make a lovely couple,” she smiled at them brightly and both boys blinked at her in shock, “Most people don’t treat hybrids as people, much less consider them equals. Seeing a mixed couple is so refreshing.”

Luke was so in shock all he could choke out was, “...thanks?”

The girl smiled and trotted off. Ethan looked at Luke with puzzlement.

“Couple?” he asked, “Like...Chandler and Monica?”

“Yeah,” Luke replied, “but we’re not like that, I just didn’t know what to say.”

Ethan made a grumpy face, “I don’t like you.”

Luke rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah.”

They finished their drinks and went back out onto the street, not really speaking, both lost in thought. They were almost at the flat when someone rushing by bumped into Ethan. The hybrid stumbled and it was as if he was suddenly aware of everyone around him. A group of peopled got off a bus and headed for him and he just stood there, frozen, eye wide.

“Hey,” Luke felt a little panicky, “Eth, you okay?”

Ethan’s eye snapped to him as if he just remembered Luke was there, and suddenly he was clutching Luke’s hand with both of his, and they were small and bony and cold, and Ethan had his whole body pressed into Luke’s side, ears flat on his head, whimpering.

“It’s okay, we’re going home, it’s okay,” Luke gushed hurriedly and pulled Ethan along, desperate to keep him safe. The hybrid didn’t let go of Luke’s hand until they were in the flat, at which point he jumped onto the couch and buried himself under the covers.

Luke’s hand felt warm and tingly and he desperately wanted to touch Ethan again.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I should have taken you when there’s less people.”

Ethan stuck his head out and shook it, “No,” he said, “I...it was...nice,” he swallowed, looked away blushing, “Thank you.”

Luke had never wanted to kiss someone so badly. “You’re welcome.”

***

A week and a half later Luke felt his bed dip in the middle of the night and this time he knew who it was; he laid there, still and silent, not wanting to scare Ethan off. He knew it was another heat, it had been around a month since the last one. It was crazy to think they had lived together for almost two months.

Luke waited with bated breath for Ethan to settle, and he did – at the end of the bed, just like he had the last time.

Luke stupidly hoped Ethan would feel comfortable enough to crawl into his arms, but he didn’t, and Luke felt bitterly disappointed when Ethan remained curled up on the end of the bed for the rest of the night – he wanted Ethan to trust him, and yet he felt he still didn’t know anything about the hybrid.

***

“You’re going to have to start showering alone,” Luke said one day, hands on hips, standing over Ethan who was curled up on the couch. It had been almost three months.

“No,” Ethan mumbled and burrowed further under his nest, “I hate it.”

Luke sighed, “I know but you have to do it. I don’t want you stinking up the whole flat.”

Ethan glared at him, “You do it.”

“I can’t keep washing you, you’re not a child,” he pulled the blanket off the protesting hybrid, “Come on, I’ll teach you everything right now so you can do it yourself.”

Ethan grumbled but climbed off the couch and slinked to the bathroom. By the time Luke got there he had already stripped naked; the blond swallowed and tried to subtly avert his gaze. The real reason he decided to teach Ethan to wash himself was because the last few times he had gotten hard, and he didn’t want to be a creep. Even now, looking over Ethan’s creamy skin, at the way his tail swayed slowly, his milky thighs, it was all making Luke feel lightheaded.

“Alright, get in,” Luke said, pointing at the bath tub. Ethan crossed his arms over his chest.

“You too,” he said.

“Huh?”

“You too,” the hybrid pointed at the bath tub.

“No.”

Ethan looked at him rebelliously, “No,” he mimicked.

Luke rolled his eyes, “God, you’re such a pain,” he grumbled but pulled off his sweatpants and t-shirt, knowing how stubborn Ethan could get. He stayed in his boxers and climbed into his shitty bathtub. He faced Ethan, who seemed completely unbothered by his full and Luke’s partial nudity.

The blond turned on the shower and Ethan, who was standing right underneath, was soaked in freezing water. He yelped and tried to get out but Luke pushed him back under, smirking.

“Still feeling stubborn?” he teased as Ethan struggled.

“F-Fuck you,” the boy choked out.

“Wow, I should wash your mouth out with soap,” Luke said. The water turned nice and warm and Ethan stopped struggling, though he still looked miserable. Luke grabbed the body wash, “Hold out your hands,” he instructed, and Ethan did so. Luke poured some of the wash into his hands.

“Okay, now all you have to do is scrub your body,” he reached for the shower poof, “use this.”

Hesitantly Ethan took it and looked up at Luke expectantly.

“Come on,” Luke sighed, “I’ve washed you a lot, you know how it works.”

Ethan smirked devilishly and slapped the body wash onto Luke’s naked chest, and then proceeded to aggressively scrub at it with the poof, still grinning like a maniac.

“You think you’re funny?” Luke said, but couldn’t hold back a grin. Ethan poked him in the belly-button, Luke giggled. Ethan’s tail swayed. He held the poof in one hand and ran the other one down Luke’s chest and over his abs. The blond shivered, blood suddenly rushing south.

“Alright, enough,” he said hurriedly, hoping Ethan wouldn’t see the tent forming in his underwear, “Wash yourself.

“Wash hair,” Ethan replied and pointed at Luke’s head.

“I can do it myself.”

“No,” the hybrid said stubbornly, “I do.”

“Fine,” Luke saw this as a way to hide his boner so he turned his back to Ethan and sat down in the bath. His head was now at Ethan’s stomach, “Use the shampoo first.”

Ethan rummaged for the bottle, then poured a shit-tone on Luke’s head.

“Hey!” the blond ducked his head, “Don’t use that much you dickhead!”

Ethan cackled and seconds later his fingers were in Luke’s hair, massaging delicately in a way that made Luke forgive the hybrid his previous action. Luke’s eyes fluttered shut and he sighed, leaning back against Ethan’s legs. The hybrid didn’t move away, lathering up Luke’s hair.

“Nice hair,” Ethan murmured.

“Mhmmm,” Luke hummed, “Thanks. Since when are you all touchy-touchy?”

Ethan shrugged, his hands still moving in Luke’s hair gently, “You...you are not scary,” he mumbled. A pang went through Luke’s heart and he opened his eyes to look up at his cat.

“Were you...Did the people who had you before...were they scary?”he asked carefully.

Ethan nodded mutely. Luke wanted to hug him but he knew he had to let Ethan stay completely in control.

“Shower with you is nice,” Ethan mumbled, blushing a little, or was that the hot water? Either way, Luke smiled,

“I like showering with you too,” he admitted.

***

During Ethan’s third heat everything changed. It was a stormy night in late November, and the rain pounded on Luke’s bedroom windows so loudly that at first the slight dip of the bed didn’t wake the blond up. It wasn’t until he felt something slithering up the bed that he jerked awake.

“What the-,” he breathed as he saw the shape climbing up the bed underneath the covers. He quickly realised the only thing it could be, “Eth?” he whispered and the hybrid popped his head from under the covers. He was just inches away from Luke, flushed and desperate, “Hey, Eth, you okay?” Luke murmured, already knowing that he was in heat.

And then Ethan started kissing him, just like that, out of the blue. Luke’s pent up frustration flowed out of his body and he melted into the cat, forgetting himself for a moment and kissing back. Ethan’s lips were soft, wet, parting willingly for Luke’s tongue.

Then Luke remembered what was going on and forced himself to pull away.

“_No,” _Ethan gasped and grabbed Luke’s face, desperately trying to push their faces together. Luke grabbed his hands and pushed him away gently. Ethan let out a frustrated whine, but the dark blush on his cheeks and the hazy look in his eyes were enough to assure Luke that he was, in fact, in heat.

“Hey, stop, stop,” Luke had researched heats in hybrids, he knew what this meant, “You’re not thinking straight.”

“I want,” Ethan whispered feverishly, “I want you. Please, _please.”_

He grinded up against Luke’s leg and the blond felt dizzy; Ethan was very clearly naked under the covers because the blond could feel his hard, wet cock against his thigh, “Where is this coming from?” he asked, pushing Ethan away so he could think straight, “Why do you suddenly want me to touch you?”

“Not _sudden,” _Ethan was brimming with frustration, his eyes pleading.

“You’ve always stayed at the end of the bed-“

Ethan shook his head furiously, “No, no, I-I _wanted, _I...just..._scared...”_

“You were scared?” Luke whispered.

“Not anymore.”

Luke exhaled shakily, “We can’t do this. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, when the heat’s passed. You can stay in my bed, we just won’t-“

Ethan made a frustrated sound and ducked under the covers – Luke closed his eyes, accepting that he was going to have to spend an agonizing night with Ethan at the end of the bed- when he suddenly felt the hybrid pull his boxers down.

“Eth-“ Luke protested, shoving his hand under the covers to pull Ethan back up, but just then the boy took Luke’s undeniably furious erection into his mouth and started to suck. And _oh God _it was so wet and warm and soft, and Ethan sucked him with such expertise that for a moment Luke forgot where he was; his eyes rolled back and he let out a groan, his fingers sinking into Ethan’s hair as the boy lapped at his cock.

“J-Jesus,” Luke gasped, “Eth, that’s...,” his hips stuttered up and he subconsciously shoved his dick all the way down the hybrid’s throat. And Ethan just took it, like he was used to it, like he had done this a hundred times before...

“No,” Luke gasped, coming to his senses. Someone had definitely used Ethan before, the blond was sure of it, “No, stop,” he tugged on the hybrid’s hair and forced him back up. Ethan looked even more frenzied and kind of pissed off at being interrupted, “We need to talk about this-“

The hybrid pushed Luke down and climbed on top of him. The covers fell away and in the moonlight falling in through the window Luke could see all of Ethan’s perfect skin, the soft dip of his hips, his pretty pink cock standing at attention. The hybrid started grinding his ass down against the blond’s cock and Luke’s mind blanked for a second; the next thing he knew was that his hands were sliding up Ethan’s thighs. He quickly got a hold of himself and grabbed the boy’s hips, preventing him from moving.

“Stop,” he growled, “You don’t want this. It’s just your heat.”

Ethan grabbed his face with a sudden ferocity and stared at Luke desperately, “I-I...,” he gasped, “I l-love you. I love you,” tears welled up in his eye and Luke stared at him in shock, “T-That’s...I-I...I want you. Just y-you. Nobody else.” He started to cry helplessly and Luke realised he was probably scared; he couldn’t imagine losing control of his body like this and then being rejected.

He sat up, Ethan still in his lap and cradled him against his chest.

“Shhh,” he whispered, kissing Ethan’s hair and ears, stroking his back as he clutched him close. The boy’s words rang through his head.

“Say it again,” Luke whispered gently into Ethan’s hair.

“W-What?” the cat stuttered.

“Say that you love me,” Luke gripped him a little harder. Ethan wound his arms around the human’s neck.

“I love you,” he mumbled, “Please, L-Luke, I love you.”

Luke kissed him hungrily, he just couldn’t stop himself. Up until that moment he thought that all there was between him and Ethan was sexual tension, but those three words made him realise that he too was stupidly in love with this boy.

“I don’t want our first time to be like this,” Luke said, pulling away from Ethan’s delicious mouth. The boy mewled desperately, “Shhh, shh, I know,” Luke kissed him again.

“I want,” Ethan panted feverishly into Luke’s mouth, reaching down to grip his hard cock, “Please. I want.”

“God,” Luke gasped and buried his face in Ethan’s neck, then immediately started kissing it, “You’re amazing. Do you know how hard it is to say no to you?”

“Then don’t,” Ethan mumbled, “Please. Fuck me.”

Luke shoved him down onto the bed roughly before pushing two fingers into his mouth, “Suck,” he ordered, and Ethan did so eagerly, gripping Luke’s wrist and using his little wet tongue to swirl around the digits. The sight drove Luke crazy and he quickly pulled them out, leaning over Ethan and pushing his legs down to his chest. His fingers found the boy’s twitching hole – it was soaking wet.

“Oh,” Luke breathed. Ethan grabbed his face and kissed him, arching up with a breathless gasp when Luke pushed the first finger inside him. The hybrid trembled and Luke ended their kiss in order to press their foreheads together, “Tomorrow,” he said as he moved his finger inside Ethan – the boy’s eye was unfocused, “I’m going to take you on a date. I’m going to do this properly. I’m going to take you to the aquarium. Okay?” Ethan’s only reply was panting and clinging onto Luke’s neck, “_Okay_?”

Ethan nodded desperately, “Okay. Yes.”

Luke pushed another finger inside him and Ethan moaned loudly, his hole clenching around Luke’s fingers. His ears twitched adorable and Luke gently massaged one of them with his free hand.

Ethan cried out; his pretty white cock jerked against his stomach and a splotch of pre-cum landed on his soft belly. Luke watched, mesmerised. A part of Luke knew this was wrong, that to some degree he was taking advantage of Ethan; he was terrified that tomorrow Ethan would hate him, but it felt so right to take care of him...all Luke wanted to do was take care of him, to make him feel good and keep him safe and _fuck. _

“Is this okay?” he asked. Ethan nodded wildly, hair sticking to his flushed cheeks. Luke felt a gush of wetness against his hand.

“Yes,” he gasped, “Yes. Perfect.”

Luke kissed him as he moved the digits inside him. He wanted to tell Ethan so many things; how wonderful he was, how much Luke loved him, but he couldn’t get any words out.

“Luke,” Ethan whined pleadingly into his mouth and then pushed Luke’s hand away. For a moment the blond thought he did something wrong but then Ethan wrapped his legs around Luke’s waist and pulled him in close. The blond’s erection slid against the swell of Ethan’s ass.

“We need a condom, baby,” Luke panted into Ethan’s mouth, but the hybrid clearly didn’t even have a concept of what a condom was because he reached down, grabbed Luke’s cock and pushed the head inside himself.

Luke was going to stop him and actually go get that condom, but Ethan’s reaction made him forget everything else – the moment Luke penetrated him he threw his head back and let out the most delicious cry Luke had ever heard, and the blond lost control and allowed Ethan’s pliant, wet hole to pull him all the way inside.

Ethan let out a sob and came and Luke just stared at him, mouth slightly open, convinced he was dreaming as he stared at the white cum decorating Ethan’s stomach.

The boy laid there, panting, eye closed. Luke cradled one of his cheeks in his hand.

“Eth?” he asked gently, “Are you okay?”

Ethan opened his eye and looked at Luke hazily, and then his dick jerked and it was hard once more. Luke’s eyes widened but Ethan pulled him down for a sloppy kiss.

“Please,” he breathed hoarsely. Luke accepted that this was happening and in minutes he was thrusting into Ethan with abandon, marvelling at the feeling and mentally deciding he never wanted to have sex with anyone else ever again. Ethan arched into him, scratched at his back, toes curling. He was a sight to behold and Luke would have stared at him for eternity if he could. Instead he just kissed him and made love to him the way he had wanted to for ages.

“Fuck,” he grunted as Ethan’s hole clenched around him, “God, you’re amazing.”

“I love you,” Ethan sobbed into Luke’s mouth, tears in his eyes, trembling and clinging onto Luke as if he’d die if he let go.

“I know, I know,” Luke muttered feverishly, kissing all over Ethan’s face, “I love you too, baby, so much.”

Ethan’s tail jerked against the bed, “I-I’m-“ he managed to gasp out, and then he orgasmed again, shaking. The sight was too much for Luke, and seconds later he felt his own climax approaching.

“I need to pull out,” he gasped out, but Ethan’s legs tightened around him, forcing him to stay inside.

“E-Eth,” Luke groaned, “F-Fuck, I’ll get come all inside you-“

Ethan nodded hurriedly, “Yes, y-yes, inside,” he whimpered, and that was all it took.

When Luke came back to he was laying on top of Ethan, still inside him. The hybrid had his legs wrapped around the blond’s waist and didn’t seem to mind the weight, stroking Luke’s hair lovingly. 

Luke pressed their foreheads together and exhaled contently.

“You okay?” he asked. Ethan nodded. They shared a kiss and Luke finally pulled out and brought over a towel so they could clean up. Two minutes later they were under the covers, snuggled together. Ethan looked drowsy and out of and Luke just showered him in kisses as the boy dosed off.

“I’m talking you on that date tomorrow then, yeah?” Luke asked, but Ethan was already asleep, snuggled up into his side like a cat.


	17. 'Kiss List' (Percy x Leo)

**Percy gets dared to get a kiss each from a list of people and with the help of Leo his best friend, he snags one from everyone on the list or at least he thought so... until he saw the last person. A kiss from that person would mean more than a stupid dare to him. (Ps, its Leo)  
for Echo_luvs_Leo**

** **

Summer was, quite frankly, boring as all hell. After the excitement of the Titan and the Giant War, many demigods found the peaceful, hazy days exhausting, and not even constant travelling between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half Blood could lessen their idleness.

The Seven were also bored and when the initial excitement of the part-timers returning for the summer died down, they found a new way to entertain themselves: a prolonged, three-month long game of dares. It had been Leo’s idea, obviously, and he came up with it as a way to ease the slight discomfort in the group – see, Percy and Annabeth had broken up. Amicably, yes, but it was still somewhat tense as Annabeth pursued Reyna. To add to that, Leo and Calypso never worked out – he brought her back to Camp Half Blood but after three weeks she packed her bags and left to see the world and he didn’t fault her for that. The initial spark of their relationship had died out for him too.

So the game of dares was a perfect way to keep people busy and their minds off the breakups. It had started off fairly innocent – Leo dared Jason to fill his and Piper’s flat at Camp Jupiter with Orbeez, Nico dared Frank to eat a ghost pepper, Hazel dared Will to wear a skirt for a full day at the infirmary...but as the summer days dragged on the dares got more excessive. After finding out about Annabeth’s feelings for Reyna, Percy dared her to woo the girl by the end of the summer, then Piper got dared to suck Jason off in the woods and not get caught, and then, near the end of July, Percy appeared in front of Bunker 9, looking excited.

“Leo!” Harley called to his half-brother, “Percy’s here to see you!”

Reluctantly the son of Hephaestus abandoned the new project he was working on (jets built into special shoes that would hopefully allow him to fly) and came outside into the cool shadow of the trees that provided cover from the sun relentlessly beating down on camp.

“Hey Perce,” Leo smiled, “What’s up?”

“This is up,” the son of Poseidon held up a piece of paper, “I just got dared by Jason.”

“What is that?” Leo reached for the paper but Percy held it above his head, way out of Leo’s reach, smirking.

“This, my friend,” his eyes twinkled as he opened the paper, “Is a ‘Kiss List’.”

Sure enough on top of the paper, scrawled in Jason’s neat handwriting, was the title ‘KISS LIST.’ Underneath it was one name; Miranda Gardiner. Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Not much of a list, is it?”

“It’s _magical,” _Percy said pointedly, “Jason said I have to kiss everyone on this list – once I do Miranda, another name appears, and so on.”

“Oh,” Leo was intrigued, “Sounds fun. He should have made you sleep with the people,” he wriggled his eyebrows.

Percy chuckled, “I know I’m popular but I don’t think I’m _that _popular.”

“I am,” Leo dramatically flicked a curl. Percy snickered and threw an arm around his friend’s skinny shoulders. Leo enjoyed the weight.

“I know,” Percy said, “That’s why I need your help. I have until the first of August to complete the list. Jason said there’s nine names and I need your help.”

“That’s a lot of people to kiss, I’ll get you some Vaseline,” Leo winked.

“So you’ll help me?”

“Course,” the Latino grinned, “This is better than killing monsters.”

***

Miranda Gardiner was easy to kiss; Percy sauntered up to her while she was picking strawberries and politely asked if he could kiss her as Leo watched from afar, snickering and shoving strawberries into his mouth. He watched the girl turn the same shade as the fruit and then stutter out a ‘yes.’ When Percy leaned in for a smooch, the strawberries around her shot into the sky and Leo ended up cackling on the floor.

Percy jogged over to him, grinning and helped Leo to his feet.

“That made her day,” Leo said.

“I wanna see the next name,” Percy said excitedly, pulling out the ‘Kiss List’ from his back pocket. The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon and the boys wanted to get as many kisses done before dinner as possible.

The list had changed. It now looked like this:

  1. <strike>Miranda Gardiner. </strike>
  2. Travis Stoll.

“_Travis?!” _Percy made a face. Leo laughed and smacked him on the back.

“What, you thought you’d be kissing pretty girls all day? C’mon lets go to the Hermes Cabin.”

They did, Percy not quite as excited as he had been before. They found a bunch of the Hermes kids lounging around on their front porch, listening to music on smuggled IPods and eating snacks.

“Is Travis here?” Leo asked cheerfully, hoping the boy hadn’t gone back to college.

“TRAVIS!” One of his half-siblings yelled and moments later the boy appeared in the doorway, looking kind of lethargic.

“You brushed your teeth today, Stoll?” Leo asked.

The older boy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Since when are you interested in my dental hygiene, Valdez?”

“Since Percy has something to ask,” the son of Hephaestus poked his friend in the side. Percy glared at him and beckoned Travis closer, aware of all the other Hermes kids staring at them. He pulled the boy to the side and Leo watched as he explained to him about Jason’s ‘Kiss List’. As he spoke, Travis’ face lit up – he told Percy something, and then disappeared back into his cabin. Percy shuffled over, looking defeated.

“No takers?” Leo asked sympathetically.

“Worse,” Percy mumbled, “He said I can only kiss him on one condition...”

***

Leo was too distracted to eat his dinner, and he kept glancing between the Poseidon table, where Percy sat alone, and the Hermes table, where everyone was whispering and giggling. His food got cold but the boy didn’t care, consumed by excitement.

Finally, Percy stood up and walked over to the Hermes table. He seemed pretty confident, but Leo knew Percy well enough to know he was tense. He leaned forward a little.

“What is going on?” Nyssa asked as the other tables turned to watch Percy. He stopped in front of Travis, who was smirking.

“Travis Stoll,” Percy started loudly, shushing all other conversations in the dining pavilion, “Will you do me the honour of allowing me to kiss you?”

Whispers erupted around the pavilion immediately as everyone looked around in surprise. Travis stood up solemnly. Leo bit his lip.

“Yes,” he said dramatically, “I will.”

Then he grabbed Percy by the back of the neck and pulled him into a sloppy, exaggerated makeout. The dining pavilion exploded; younger girls started squealing, some boys made faces, but mostly everyone laughed and clapped and cheered, understanding that this wasn’t serious and that this was probably a prank.

“Alright! Alright! Settle down everyone!” Chiron chimed up and Travis and Percy pulled apart, laughing, “Thank you for a heart-warming moment, gentlemen,” the centaur said pointedly, “but instead of eating each other’s faces, I’d prefer if you ate these tacos.”

Laughter erupted among campers, and Percy returned to his table. He sat down and gave Leo a thumbs up.

***

When Percy didn’t come get Leo first thing in the morning, the son of Hephaestus happily burst into his cabin and plopped himself on the edge of Percy’s bed. Unsurprisingly the son of Poseidon was still asleep.

“Come on Perce,” Leo flicked him in the forehead, “Wake up.”

The son of Poseidon grumbled something and rolled onto his side, still asleep. In the morning sunshine he looked like everyone’s wet dream – tousled black hair, cheeks flushed from sleep, naked torso rippling with muscle.

Leo slapped his naked back and Percy shot up, “What?!” he exclaimed, grabbing Riptide in pen form off his bedside table, “Who’s attacking?!” his hair stuck up in all directions.

“Calm down, captain,” Leo rolled his eyes and plucked the pen from his hand, “I’m just curious about the next name.”

Percy blinked at Leo as if only just seeing him now, “Oh,” he said and rubbed a hand down his face, “What name?”

“On the ‘Kiss List’! Duh!”

Percy’s eyes widened, “Oh! I forgot about that...,” he trailed off. Leo jumped up.

“Well get your ass up! We’ve got a busy day ahead full of smooching,” he made a kissing face at Percy, who smiled sleepily, “And I, your fateful sidekick, are here to ensure you complete your dare! So let’s go!”

“Can you give me a few minutes?” Percy asked, casually pointing at the tent in the covers. That was the moment Leo realised Percy was fully naked, and sprouting some impressive morning wood.

“Sure!” the Latino squeaked, voice a few octaves higher than normal, and scurried out of the cabin. He plopped down on the steps leading to Percy’s front door, face burning and heart pounding. He didn’t know why the thought of Percy being hard had gotten him so worked up.

Ten minutes later the son of Poseidon came outside in his orange camp t-shirt and some shorts, smiling at Leo as if nothing had happened.

“Right,” he plopped down next to his friend, who couldn’t bear to look at him. Percy unfolded the ‘Kiss List’ and smirked, “The next name is Nico.”

Leo snickered, still somewhat distracted, “Good luck with that. He’ll kill you before he agrees to that. And the next time you’re dying Will will refuse to treat you.”

“No he won’t,” Percy scoffed, “It’s just a peck. Besides, Nico used to have a crush on me. I’m sure he won’t mind helping me out.”

Turns out Nico _did _mind helping Percy out and Leo watched, amused, as Percy dragged the son of Hades outside the infirmary and begged him for a kiss. It ended up with Percy chasing Nico around, until the boy finally shadow-travelled out of there. For the next four hours Percy and Leo futilely searched for him.

It was Leo who found him, upon checking the Hades Cabin for the third time. Nico was sitting on his bed cross-legged, arms crossed over his chest and glaring like a mother catching her child sneaking back in through the window at 3am.

“Oh!” Leo said, a little peeved, “There you are. Uh...we’ve been looking for you...”

“Look,” Nico said tightly, “I’m all for the dares game but this is too much. This is _stupid _and Jason should know better.”

“Aw, c’mon Neeks,” Leo said awkwardly, “It’s just a game. If you really don’t wanna kiss Percy then we’ll just drop it. Is it because of Will?”

“No,” Nico growled, “Will doesn’t mind. It’s because of _you.”_

Leo blinked, “Huh?”

“You have a crush on Percy,” Nico rolled his eyes, “I can see it, I’ve been there before and it’s _obvious.”_

Blood rushed to Leo’s face, “T-That’s not true!”

“I’m not kissing him because it will hurt your feelings.”

“You can’t decide that by yourself!” Leo snapped, “Percy’s just a friend and this is just a fun game! Don’t _ruin _this, Nico.” He didn’t know why there was so much desperation in his voice, why he was taking this so seriously.

“Fine,” Nico said coldly, stood up and stalked out of his cabin, Leo hot on his heels. They found Percy in two minutes and Nico strode right up to him, grabbed him by the neck, and gave him a quick peck before storming off, annoyed.

Percy looked shocked, then he brightened up, “Success!” he punched the air in victory and ran up to Leo, “I don’t know what you told him but it worked! You’re the best, man!” he held up his hand. Leo high-fived him, forcing a smile, Nico’s words ringing in his head. _It’s not true._

“Right,” he managed, “Who’s next?”

Percy pulled the ‘Kiss List’ out. His face fell.

“Uh-oh.”

He spent the rest of the afternoon getting chased and screamed at by Clarisse la Rue, who was not happy about the peck he stole from her.

***

Leo’s and Percy’s shenanigans continued on the third day, but as Percy kissed Billie Ng and Drew Tanaka, the next names on the list, Leo didn’t understand why Percy needed his help – he seemed to be doing just fine by himself and the girls were more than happy to give him all the kisses he wanted.

After lunchtime the two met back up by the cabins. It was another lazy afternoon, but the excessive heat meant most of the demigods hid in the interiors of their cabins where they were saved by the AC. By now news have spread around Camp that Percy had a ‘Kiss List,’ and Leo heard rumours that many of the campers desperately wanted to be on said list. It made him feel a bit icky.

“Okay, whose next?” Leo asked, peeking at the ‘Kiss List’. Percy showed it to him.

“This is getting less and less fun,” he admitted. Leo secretly agreed as his eyes scanned the list.

  1. <strike>Miranda Gardiner.</strike>
  2. <strike>Travis Stoll. </strike>
  3. <strike>Nico di Angelo.</strike>
  4. <strike>Clarisse la Rue. </strike>
  5. <strike>Billie Ng.</strike>
  6. <strike>Drew Tanaka. </strike>
  7. Malcolm Pace.

Leo pulled a face, “Yeesh, Jason stuck Annabeth’s brother on here?”

Percy shrugged, “Dunno. Maybe he had someone put a charm on it and these names aren’t hand-picked?”

“Who knows,” Leo shrugged, “Let’s go to the Athena Cabin!”

Thankfully Annabeth wasn’t home, though Malcolm was and he stepped onto their porch looking a bit nervous.

“If you’re looking for Annie she’s gone for a hike with Reyna.”

“Trying to complete her dare,” Leo nodded, “Respect.”

“We’re not looking for Annabeth,” Percy said, putting on his full charm, “We’re looking for you. Actually, I am.”

Malcolm blushed, “I-Is this about the ‘Kiss List’?”

Leo and Percy exchanged a look, “Uh...maybe?” the former offered. Malcolm shook his head.

“No. I can’t kiss you, sorry Percy. I wouldn’t do that to Annabeth.”

“Aw, c’mon man,” Leo started before Percy could say anything, “Annabeth broke up with _him. _Besides, she likes Reyna now. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a quick little peck to help out some friends, right?” he batted his eyelashes at Malcolm. The boy clearly wasn’t charmed and looked kinda irritated.

“Why are you involved in this anyway, Valdez? Are you Percy’s spokesperson or something?” he sighed, “Whatever, it doesn’t matter,” he glared at Percy, “It’s not happening.”

“I bet it’s cause you’re a shit kiss,” Leo said casually. Malcolm went beet red.

“I’m not a shit kiss!” he exclaimed.

“Prove it,” Leo smirked. Malcolm’s eyes narrowed.

“Your tactics won’t work on me, Valdez.”

“Malcolm come on,” Percy pleaded, “I really need your help.”

Malcolm seemed a little flattered at that and he let out another dramatic sigh, “Fine,” he said, “But this is me doing you a favour.”

He leaned forward. Percy quickly kissed him. Leo looked away.

“Perfect!” the son of Poseidon said cheerfully, “Thanks Malkie!”

“Don’t call me that!”

But Leo and Percy were already skipping away.

“Almost done,” Percy said, a little relieved, “I must say this is kind of hard. I thought I liked kissing until now,” he made a face as they stopped in the shadows cast by two cabins, “You’ve been kinda quiet today,” Percy said, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Leo forced a smile, “Just...lost in thought I guess.”

The son of Poseidon didn’t pry as he pulled out the ‘Kiss List.’ Paolo Montes’ name featured at number 8.

“Huh. Paolo.”

“You ever spoken to him?” Leo asked.

“No. He only speaks Portuguese, but I’m pretty sure he understands English so let’s go see if he’d be up for a little mwah-mwah.”

They found Paolo sunbathing outside the Hebe cabin, sunglasses on his face. When he saw them approaching he grinned brightly and shoved the sunglasses into his curly hair. He exclaimed something in Portuguese, unceremoniously grabbed Percy, and started making out with him right there and then.

Leo stood frozen in shock, watching them. He expected Percy to jump back and laugh the whole thing off, but instead in the sultry heat of the afternoon, the son of Poseidon leaned into Paolo, wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed back. And oh boy was it a kiss. Leo watched open-mouthed as the tongues of the two boys moved against each other, and then hurriedly looked away, feeling like he was going to be sick.

He turned away and took a deep, calming breath, fighting the nausea that came over him and blinking away the tears that had sprung to his eyes suddenly.

_What? What? Why?_

He steadied himself. It was just the heat that was making him feel woozy. When he turned back the boys had stopped kissing – Paolo happily slapped Percy on the back and went back to sunbathing and the son of Poseidon walked over to Leo, a little dazed and smiling.

“Well _he _knows how to kiss,” he said. Leo’s hands clenched into fists and he smiled fakely.

“Yup,” was all he managed, “S-So who’s the last person on the list?”

“Huh? Oh right,” Percy seemed a little out of it when he pulled the list out of his pocket and opened it up. Leo watched his eyes widen, and then Percy hurriedly shoved the ‘Kiss List’ back where he got it from, face serious all of a sudden.

“What?” Leo asked, unnerved, “Who is it?”

“I’m not doing it,” Percy said and started walking towards the Poseidon cabin. Leo blinked and jogged to catch up to it.

“What? Why? Who is it? Is it that bad?” he pestered Percy with questions, curiosity gnawing at him, “It can’t be worse than Clarisse. Unless...oh my gods, is it _Chiron?”_

He followed Percy up the steps to his front door.

“I’m tired,” his friend said, a little tensely, “The dare’s off.”

He slipped into his cabin and slammed the door in Leo’s face. The boy stared at it, confused and a little hurt. Percy had never acted like this before and Leo didn’t understand how one little name on a jokey ‘Kiss List’ could throw him so much.

Dazed, he headed for his cabin.

***

Percy didn’t show up to dinner and by then curiosity was making Leo vibrate with energy, and he was pissing all of his siblings off. Once he was done eating he headed straight for the Poseidon cabin and pounded on the door until a very annoyed Sherman Yang stuck his head out of the Ares cabin and told him to shut the fuck up and that Percy was down at the lake.

At that point Leo knew something was wrong; Percy went down to the lake at night when he was worried about something, and Leo thought that maybe this went past the ‘Kiss List’. Maybe Percy was still upset about his breakup with Annabeth. Maybe the last name _was _Annabeth.

Leo found his friend standing on the bank of the lake, glaring out at the calm water. Fireflies had started drifting through the air and the moon was heavy and full above them, illuminating everything silver. It was a perfect night to have a fight.

“Hey,” Leo said with as much cheer as he could as he approached. Percy glanced at him, then looked away, not saying anything. Leo stopped next to him and craned his neck up to look at Percy’s face, but his expression was unreadable. Leo poked him playfully, “Cat’s got your tongue?”

“I’m not in the mood Leo.”

Leo pouted, “If you don’t want to complete the ‘Kiss List’ then don’t, but let’s not fall out over it.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

Leo’s eyebrows shot up – now he was a bit annoyed, “Oh, but when I was running around helping you for three days it had _everything _to do with me. What’s with the sudden change?”

“It doesn’t matter?”

“Why can’t you do the last name?” Leo didn’t understand and he was getting frustrated, as was Percy.

“Because!” The son of Poseidon snapped.

“_Because?!”_

Percy groaned in frustration, “Because that would mean more than a dare!”

“What, is it Annabeth?” Leo rolled his eyes, “You’ve kissed her before, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind-“

“It’s _you!” _Percy exploded, startling Leo, “It’s you, you fucking idiot.”

Leo swallowed. “Oh,” he tried to ignore his fluttering heart. He didn’t see this coming and his brain raced to try and make sense of it, “That’s...that’s not so bad,” he laughed awkwardly, “Why are you making this a big deal? It’s just a kiss.”

“Not to me, it’s not,” Percy said quietly. Leo sighed.

“Look, if it bothers you so much to kiss me, then just don’t,” he crossed his arms over his chest, cheeks burning. He felt embarrassed – he knew he wasn’t anywhere near Percy’s level but he didn’t think he was so hideous as to not even warrant a small peck. It hurt. It really fucking hurt, “It’s just a stupid dares list. Just tell Jason you don’t want to do it.”

“Like Jason would accept that...”

“Fine!” Leo exclaimed; he chalked his next action down to being overwhelmed – he grabbed Percy by the shirt and yanked him down. Their mouths collided awkwardly, and stayed connected for a second before Leo let go of Percy, taking a few steps back, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. He felt lightheaded. “See, that wasn’t so bad, right?” he snapped bitterly.

The ‘Kiss List’ in Percy’s back pocket started glowing. The boy hurriedly pulled it out and watched as it transformed in his hand, turning into a Hershey’s kiss. The two boys looked at it. Then they both started laughing. Leo let go of his anger. He was angry because he was finally realising his impossible feelings for Percy and it wasn’t Percy’s fault that he didn’t reciprocate Leo’s crush and that was fine. The Latino smiled at his friend.

“Congrats,” he said sincerely.

Percy looked at him for a moment with the biggest, brightest smile, his eyes twinkling and Leo decided in that moment to bury his feelings deep, deep down and never ruin this friendship. Then Percy’s smile softened and he carefully unwrapped the Kiss.

“Do you want to split this with me?” he asked.

“What?” Leo laughed.

Percy shrugged, “It’ll be funny,” he put the chocolate in his mouth and looked at Leo expectantly. For a moment Leo wondered why he was suddenly okay with this, but then the excitement of potentially brushing lips with Percy again took over. The Latino stood on his tiptoes, grabbed the chocolate with his teeth, and pulled it completely into his mouth.

He laughed as he chewed and swallowed the chocolate, “Sorry! I didn’t even give you a chance!”

Percy cupped his cheek gently in his hand. Leo was too busy giggling to realise what was happening, and suddenly Percy warm, soft lips were pressed against his own.

Leo froze, eyes wide. Percy’s free arm slid around his waist and the Latino found himself being pulled closer to his friend who was now _kissing him. _Leo was pliant with shock, and it was easy for Percy to slip his tongue into his mouth. The kiss was gentle, slow, and sweet not just because of the chocolate. Percy rubbed circles into Leo’s lower back, eyes closed. He looked so peaceful. Leo didn’t understand but he melted with a tremble, hands digging into Percy’s biceps.

Percy finally ended the kiss. He nuzzled his nose against Leo’s, eyes still closed. “Sorry,” he whispered and went to pull back.

“No!” Leo hurriedly wrapped his arms around Percy’s neck and hauled him back against him. They stumbled but stayed upright, “No, no, stay here.”

Percy started laughing, a little sadly, “I don’t get you.”

Leo crashed their mouths together in a poor and clumsy imitation of Percy’s kiss that was tinged with desperation. Percy didn’t complain though, gladly giving in and kissing Leo back with just as much emotion.

They kissed until their lips hurt, panting into each other’s mouths.

“You’re the one I wanted to kiss all along,” Percy confessed breathlessly.

“That’s really cheesy,” Leo replied.

“I have the biggest crush on you.”

Leo let out a hysterical giggle, “I don’t blame you.”

Percy pinched him playfully, “Do you like me too?”

“Of course you idiot.”

“Okay,” Percy grinned, “Okay. Okay. That’s amazing. Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Leo’s heart seized up and he couldn’t breathe for a moment, before nodding furiously, “One condition?”

“I have to kiss you dramatically in front of the dining pavilion?”

“No,” Leo whispered, “You don’t kiss anyone else.”

“Deal.”


	18. The Hottest Summer Since '66 (Frank x Leo)

**A Leo and Frank fic were Leo wears some shorts that are just a litttttle too short when he works, and it takes everything in our boy Frank to not just smack that ass, so whenever he sees Leo in shorts he speeds out of there so he doesn’t stare or be creepy. And of course our girl Piper picks up on that real fast and figures out why Frank hasn’t been talking to Leo as of late. So she makes a plan with the rest of the gang to get our boys laid. It involves locking Leo and Frank an empty cabin or room or whatever, you can choose, and Leo having the smarts fucked out of him after he and Frank have very heated love confessions. And maybe some cute fluffy “I love you”s at the end.  
For CreepySmile**

** **

It was the hottest summer at camp since 1966, and everybody was feeling it: Nico di Angelo refused to leave the Hades cabin in fear of getting sunburnt, Will Solace was so freckly he might have as well been cast in Anne of Green Gables with a ginger wig, and Leo Valdez took to walking around camp in the shortest shorts he found.

And boy, were they short; denim and cut off, with little frayed bits at the bottom and high-waisted, allowing him to tuck his t-shirt into them. He borrowed them off Piper. That summer all of Camp Half Blood noticed for the first time not only how big Leo’s ass was, but also how creamy and smooth, with his ass-cheeks always half visible for most of June. Nobody noticed more than Frank Zhang.

Ever since his amicable breakup with Hazel that spring, Frank had noticed Leo more than usual: his obnoxious but adorable laugh, the way his curls looked right after he woke up, the way he moved his hands when he got excited talking about something. He thought it was good, platonic, that he and Leo were _finally _becoming better friends. And then Leo started wearing those god damned shorts and Frank found himself walking up in the middle of the night most nights, sweaty and panting from something other than the obnoxious summer heat.

He couldn’t stop staring. Leo’s bouncy, perky ass haunted his dreams. Frank’s mouth would literally _water _whenever he caught a glimpse of the boy’s tanned ass, and he knew how fucking creepy it was.

So he did the only thing he could – he started avoiding Leo.

Whenever the Seven made plans Frank would excuse himself, if he was at the lake and Leo showed up, he’d leave, if they were training he’d try his best to switch partners, all so he didn’t give into his impulse and smack that glorious bum. He could see Leo was a little hurt and he prayed autumn would come quicker so they could go back to the way they were.

At the start of July it rained for the first time in three weeks, and camp was elated – finally the strawberries would grow and everyone would get some respite from the dry air. Percy threw himself in puddles all afternoon until Jason invited everyone to the Zeus cabin for a game of Uno.

Leo came in sweatpants. They weren’t tight or anything, just normal, obnoxiously red sweatpants. And Frank still stared. He stared not only at the outline of Leo’s ass, but also at the dip of his waist, his small hands sticking out of the oversized sleeves of his hoodie, his flushed cheeks and bright eyes. He couldn’t stop _staring. _

He went to the kitchen portion of the cabin and poured himself a glass of water, hurriedly chugging it down. Piper sauntered over to him and leaned on the counter next to him as the game began on the floor a little while away.

“So,” the girl prompted. Frank swallowed the last of the water.

“So?”

“What’s the deal with you and Leo?”

Frank’s stomach knotted up and he felt himself going red, “N-Nothing! Why?”

“You’ve been avoiding him.”

“No, I haven’t,” Frank lied.

Piper rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you have. We’ve all noticed. He’s noticed too, he’s pretty upset.”

Frank felt a pang go through his chest. He looked over at Leo sitting on the floor, and caught the boy’s brown eyes. Leo quickly looked away and nervously tucked a curl behind his ear, cheeks colouring. Frank’s heart pounded. His feelings felt so much more complicated than just wanting to fuck the living daylights out of Leo...

“Frank,” Piper said, a little more gently as she touched his huge arm, “I may be a shitty daughter of Aphrodite, but I’m still her daughter. I know love when I see it.”

“I-It’s not love!” Frank hissed at her, “I just really like his ass, okay?” he blurted. Piper’s eyebrows shot up.

“Uh...so you wanna fuck him?”

Frank groaned, embarrassed, “No. Yes? I don’t know. He just looks so...obscene in those shorts.”

Piper smiled, eyes gleaming. Frank felt dread.

“Whatever you’re planning, don’t. I don’t want to ruin the friendship me and Leo have.”

“Sure, sure,” Piper said dismissively, and pulled Frank towards the group.

***

For a week Frank really thought Piper would just leave it. The heat wave came back just as suddenly as it had left and Leo went back to wearing shorts. It wasn’t just the denim ones he wore; he had black ones and red ones, and little checkered ones, and although they all made Frank impossibly horny, it was only the denim ones that made him scared he’d lose control.

It just so happens he was wearing the denim ones that day.

“Hi Frank,” Piper and Annabeth strolled over to the boy who was sitting on the porch of the Ares cabin, sweaty and tired form sparring practice. The two girls wore sunglasses, ice lollies in their hands.

“Hi,” Frank said, “What you guys up to?”

“There’s a problem in the shed,” Piper said.

“Yeah, something about something falling over,” Aphrodite shrugged, “Chiron said to get someone to fix it up and, well, you’re pretty strong so...”

“Oh, okay. Right, sure, no problem,” Frank had no reason to think something was up. He casually strolled around the cabins and back into where the equipment shed was.

Frank confidently walked in and came chest to face with a startled Leo, who was also in there. It was very cramped. Immediately Frank’s heart started to pound.

“Oh,” he squeaked, “Uh, are you here to fix the fallen equipment too?” he asked, scrambling his brain for something to say.

“Yeah, except there is none,” Leo pointed at the dusty, empty shelves. Just then the door to the shed slammed shut. Frank froze. “Oh no,” Leo whispered. It was dark, the only light coming from a little closed window on the roof.

Frank pushed the door, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach realised it was locked, “_Fuck.”_

“I knew something was up,” Leo grumbled. He leaned against the opposite shelf to Frank but the son of Mars could still feel the heat radiating off him. He made the mistake of glancing down and in the semi-darkness noticed Leo was wearing the cursed shorts.

His heart started to pound and his basketball shorts got a little tighter. He had to get out of there.

“This was Piper and Annabeth.”

“I know,” Leo said, quiet, “They probably want us to sort out the fight.”

“Fight?” Frank asked, puzzled. Leo shrugged and crossed his arms over his skinny chest defensively.

“You know. Sort out whatever made you stop talking to me.”

Frank’s heart ached, “It’s not like that. I’m not mad at you or anything.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?” Leo asked, hurt colouring his voice. Frank wanted to hug him but realised that would most likely make Leo feel his semi-hard on and make the situation ten times worse.

“It’s boiling,” Frank said, feeling a little dizzy.

“I’m okay,” Leo said with a shrug. Frank laughed, a little panicked.

“Course you are,” he pulled his t-shirt over his head and started fanning himself with his hand, face red, sweat glistening on his abs.

“There’s a window thingy,” Leo said, pointing ahead, “Let me try climb the shelves.”

And before Frank could offer turning into a bird or something, Leo put his knee on one of the shelves and hoisted himself up. And suddenly his ass was almost directly in Frank’s face. His perfect, round, half-naked ass.

Just like that, everything came crashing down. Before Frank could even _think _to stop himself, his hands were jerking out and grabbing two greedy handfuls of Leo’s meaty ass.

The Latino squeaked in surprise, wobbling on the shelf, but Frank pushed him further onto it, so Leo was kneeling on it.

“W-What are you-,” Leo gasped when Frank decided to just fuck it. He did what he had wanted to for weeks; with one hand he kneaded the flesh of Leo’s ass cheek, hungrily shoving his fingers under the denim to touch searing hot skin, while he pressed his face into the other cheek. He hiked the shorts up and licked the other cheek, before eagerly sucking a hickey right in the middle of the smooth surface.

“Frank!” Leo exclaimed.

“I’m sorry,” the other boy couldn’t let go no matter how hard he tried, gripping a little harder, “God, your ass is- _fuck.”_

He wrapped an arm around Leo’s waist and pulled him closer to him, aware that any moment this would end and his and Leo’s friendship would be destroyed. But that moment wasn’t coming, and Leo wasn’t protesting or struggling and god, he smelled so good and his ass was so soft.

Frank unbuttoned the boy’s shorts, wanting more. Leo was breathing a little harder, and shaking a little, but he wasn’t making a move to stop Frank, so the Roman yanked off his shorts and threw them to the side. Leo’s ass was completely exposed, because he wasn’t wearing any underwear, and Frank was literally salivating.

He had never had sex with anyone but Hazel and she had never been into butt stuff, so he really didn’t know what overcame him but suddenly all he wanted was to press his mouth against Leo’s dusty pink hole and shove his tongue inside. So he did.

Leo cried out, tensing, but Frank kept one arm firmly around his waist, the fingers of the other digging into the flesh of Leo’s ass, playing with it, moulding it. Leo slumped against the shelves as Frank licked him, shoving his tongue as deep as he could go.

“F-Frank,” Leo’s voice was more breathy and helpless than Frank expected, and it just urged him on more, “F-Fuck...I-I...,” Leo sounded like he was going to cry, but when he reached down to where Frank’s arm was around his waist he didn’t try to push it away, but instead clung onto it with his small, sweaty hand, panting and shaking. It was obvious he had never had this done to him, and this excited Frank even more. He showered Leo’s butt cheeks in kisses and love-bites, aroused by the prospect that if he wore those denim shorts again everyone would see. Every second he spent with his face against the Latino’s ass, his dick grew a little harder until it was almost painful.

When Frank was momentarily satisfied with how much ass he had gotten, he flipped Leo over. The boy looked disorientated, flushed, turned on. His dick was shockingly hard against his flat, tanned stomach, his curls mussed.

Frank didn’t know what to expect – maybe he thought if he looked Leo in the eye this weird mist of lust that had taken over would disperse, but the opposite happened. The second Frank saw how dilated Leo’s pupils were, how flushed his cheeks, he lost the last of the control he had and crashed their mouths together in a feverish, messy kiss. Leo reciprocated immediately, arching up against Frank, tugging off his shirt and licking at Frank’s tongue, breathing hard.

“I love you,” Frank couldn’t hold anything back and he whispered those words feverishly into Leo’s overheated mouth as he started to helplessly grind down onto the boy, “I fucking love you so much, _fuck,” _he was overwhelmed, oversensitive. Leo gripped his face in his burning hands and kissed him with such passion it made Frank feel like he was going to pass out. The Latino wrapped his skinny legs around Frank’s waist, laying back on the shelf and pulling the bigger boy closer to him.

“Fuck,” he panted, still exchanging messy kisses with Frank, “I-I don’t know what’s going on,” Frank gripped his hips and Leo moaned when their erections slid together, “But this is good. Holy shit, this is so good. Can you fuck me? Do you _want _to fuck me?”

“What kind of dumbass question is that?” Frank demanded, kissing feverishly down Leo’s neck. They were acting like two horny teenagers, which was essentially what they were. Leo clung onto Frank and grinded up against his cock.

“I’ve never wanted to have sex with someone as much as I want to with you right now,” Leo muttered.

“Gods, that was a long sentence,” Frank panted, biting Leo’s neck. The boy moaned.

“Okay, stop being a dick and _use _your dick.”

Frank didn’t have to be told twice. He shoved two of his fingers into Leo. The boy gasped, and threw his head back. His thighs started to shake.

“I-I said dick!” he moaned.

“Shut up,” Frank growled, roughly thrusting the digits into the boy, “We’re in a dusty old shed, you’re tiny, the least I can do is give you some prep.”

“What if I told you,” Leo said breathlessly, writhing on Frank’s hand, “T-That I wore those shorts so a-all the boys would look at my ass, and I’ve been a massive slut and f-fucked all of them already, so you don’t have to prepare me-“

Frank saw red. He physically felt enraged at the thought of someone else touching _his _Leo. Somewhere at the back of his head he knew it wasn’t true, but in the moment he was so overwhelmed with love and jealousy that all he could do was pull his fingers out and replace them with his cock, which he shoved into Leo roughly.

“_Ohmygods,”_ Leo’s back arched beautifully and his mouth fell open, “Oh god. O-Oh fuck. Fuck, t-that’s big. Shit. Shit. Shit,” he almost couldn’t breathe.

Frank kissed him and pinned his wrists to the shelf, “Tell me that was a lie,” he growled.

“C-Course it was,” Leo gasped, “Y-You fucking idiot. I haven’t- you’re not...y-you’re like my third and...J-Jesus, don’t move. Holy fuck.” He was shaking. Frank’s head cleared a little.

“Shit,” he whispered, “S-Shit I’m sorry,” his body was burning. It was hot and sweaty and stuffy in the shed. Frank cradled Leo’s cheeks in his and kissed him gently, “This isn’t how I wanted this to go,” Frank whispered.

“This is the hottest thing to ever happen to me,” Leo said openly, then laughed. Frank kissed him again. Leo looked up at him with soft eyes and Frank thought _yup, definitely in love with this one, _“Move.”

Frank nodded, grabbed Leo’s wrist, kissed his palm, and started thrusting into him gently. Leo’s eyes slid shut and he let out a low moan, legs wrapping around Frank’s waist the way they did before. Frank thrust a few timed shallowly, then he started to speed up. It felt like he had died and gone to heaven, except heaven was sticky and didn’t have any air-con.

The blinding desire returned, and Frank flipped Leo’s legs to one side, before pulling them up over his shoulder, giving him better access to the boy’s hole and a nice view of his ass, which jiggled every time Frank slammed into it. Mesmerised by the sight, Frank started going faster and faster until he was slamming into Leo so roughly the shed shook.

“Fuck, fuck,” Leo whined and panted and moaned, clawing at the shelf beneath him, choking on sobs. But he never told Frank to stop or slow down, he just took everything, “Y-Yes, fuck, _Frank..._O-Oh fuck...”

Frank turned his head and kissed Leo’s calves, overwhelmed with pleasure, “I love you,” he panted, “I mean that. I don’t want anyone else.” His thrusts sped up even more.

“_Frank,” _Leo whined and reached for the Roman. Frank pushed Leo’s legs back down to his waist and leaned over the boy, kissing him heatedly. Leo clung onto him as Frank continued to fuck him, digging his nails into Frank’s back. The Roman wanted it to last forever, but then Leo said the faithful words that had a more intense impact on Frank than the shorts did;

“I-I love you too.”

Frank came in seconds, suddenly and unexpectedly. He groaned and crushed Leo into his chest as he came inside him. Leo squeezed a hand between their bodies, gave himself a few strokes and moments later he was coming too, spasming and shaking and gasping for air.

They laid there for a few moments, coming back down to reality. Without a word Frank pulled out.

“Ah,” Leo gasped, “Feels weird,” he mumbled.

Frank wiped the Latino’s thighs with the underside of his own t-shirt before he pulled it back on. His adrenaline seeped away and the sweat on his skin cooled. He felt unstable and sleepy as he grabbed Leo’s t-shirt and shorts. He helped the wobbling boy down off the shelf and helped him get dressed. They didn’t really look at each other.

“I need to go to my cabin,” Leo whispered, “You were biting my ass and everything, everyone will see.”

The thought of separating from Leo in that moment felt like a stab in Frank’s chest. He took the boy’s face in his hands and swooped down for a warm, gentle kiss that Leo didn’t seem to be expecting.

“Don’t,” he murmured, “Come to my Roman cabin with me. It’s all mine, nobody there. We can shower, I’ll make us a snack, we don’t have to fuck again, I just want you close...”

Leo wrapped his arms around Frank’s shoulders and they pressed their foreheads together, the summer heat no longer bothering them.

“I’m really glad you said that,” Leo said, relieved, “I just want to be with you right now. And I _definitely _want to fuck again.”

“I love you,” Frank whispered, heart aching in the best way. Leo squeezed him closer.

“Gods, I love you too you big idiot. And, for the record, I wore the shorts for you.”

They didn’t make it out of the shed before their next fuck, and during the short walk to the Roman cabin enough campers saw them that news spread very quickly that Frank Zhang had left love bites on Leo Valdez’s ass, for the world to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a stressful time for everyone and hope this smutty and light hearted fic has taken ur minds off it. I'll try to post more now that I have more time but I've also started a new original work called The Hotel (it's gay as per) so will be uploading that too, so if you wanna check it out that would be awesome.  
Anyway, everyone stay save and wash your hands you detty pigs xx


	19. Three Thousand and Twenty Three Years (Jason x Percy)

**Percy and Jason are both immortals who keep running into each other (born during Ancient Greek times), enemies to lovers, nsfw!  
For Jercy Shipper**

**21st August 1056 BCE. Athens, Greece.**

** **

The golden-haired boy shoved the slightly shorted, willowier boy so roughly that the latter stumbled and barely managed to catch himself on a tree.

“Woah,” the raven-haired boy smiled crookedly in a most charming manner, sea-green eyes twinkling with mischief. He seemed unbothered by the clearly raging boy – almost man – in front of him, “Why the nerves, Jason?”

“I told you to stay away from Phile!” the blond growled, metaphorical steam pouring from his nose and ears.

The dark haired boy laughed, righting himself up against the tree, “Aw you’re not still mad about that, are you? It was just a kiss. If you want, I’ll give you a kiss too and make it even?” he offered with a shit-eating grin.

Jason stormed towards him but the dark-haired boy skipped aside, laughing.

“You’re dead Perseus,” Jason hissed, whirling on him and pulling out a blade, “We’re not boys anymore, don’t make jokes like that!”

“You really going to fight me over some girl?” Perseus rolled his eyes, “Come on, it was just a joke!”

But Jason didn’t seem to care as he ran at Perseus. Normally he was a very kind and calm young man; he helped old ladies tend their gardens and was always respectful to women unlike some of the other men in the village; his gentle manner was how he managed to woo his fiancée, Phile, whom he was supposed to marry in a fortnight.

Except now Perseus – his neighbour and once friend – had gone and kissed her. He was known as the heartbreaker of Athens, and with his irresistible charm Jason didn’t blame Phile for falling for his games. Now as he looked at the other boy who was clearly proud of himself, he felt wrath like never before – only Perseus seemed able to rouse him like this.

“I’m going to kill you,” Jason proclaimed, swinging his sword with practice in his hand. Perseus didn’t even look nervous, casually pulling his own sword out of the belt that kept his toga in place. The fact he wasn’t intimidated only agitated Jason more.

“No you won’t,” Perseus deadpanned, “Remember when you accidentally sat on a bunny ten summers ago? You wouldn’t stop crying for three days.”

Jason felt blood rush to his face, “I-I was a child! I am a man now, and I will defend Phile’s honour!”

“Not much of that, is there?” Perseus teased. With a roar Jason threw himself at his opponent, sword raised, but Perseus parried it with practiced ease. It was so frustrating: Perseus didn’t even _like _Phile, but over the years he seemed to get pleasure from wooing all of Jason’s love interests from him with his sharp tongue and ragged good-looks.

Before the two boys could continue their duel, clapping sounded over the hill that they had crested to argue. Puzzled, they both looked at the olive tree that grew on top, the one that Perseus had stumbled against, and were surprised to see a woman there. Not just any woman – the most beautiful woman either of them had ever seen. Their jaws fell open and their swords slipped from their hands as they turned to stare; later when they recalled this story that nobody believed in, neither of them would be able to describe exactly what the woman looked like.

She stopped clapping her elegant hands and looked at the boys with a mischievous smirk, “Well, wasn’t that endearing,” she said in a silky, smooth voice. 

Jason’s throat felt dry and he trembled, “W-Who are you, may I ask my lady?” he managed to choke out, completely overwhelmed by the woman’s presence – he forgot Athens, he forgot Phile...all that existed was this woman, the olive tree, and Perseus drooling at his side.

“I am Aphrodite,” the woman said calmly, and in their hearts both of the boys knew she was telling the truth, “The goddess of love. I was just strolling past when I noticed you two lovebirds.” She walked towards Jason, though her walk was more like a glide, effortless. She smelled like lavender and wood-smoke, Jason’s favourite fragrances, and when she reached out to caress his cheek, his whole body tingled.

“Tell me,” Aphrodite whispered seductively, “What makes your heart ache?”

“H-Him,” Jason shook and pointed at Perseus without looking away from the goddess, “He tried to seduce my fiancée!”

“No I wasn’t,” Perseus protested, dazed. Aphrodite laughed merrily and floated back a bit.

“Well isn’t this fascinating,” she purred, looking over the two boys, “Your hearts are in turmoil, you seem not to understand what is happening here.”

“We’re talking to a goddess?” Perseus’ voice was more a squeak than anything.

Aphrodite laughed again, amused, “So you are. For someone so bright I would have thought you would have figured out your feelings by now...,” her alluring eyes slid to Jason, “though you already know more than this one.”

“K-Know more of what?” Jason stuttered.

“Of what is in your hearts,” Aphrodite sighed, “Well, boys, you leave me no choice. I simply cannot stand by from what could be a love story for the ages. And so, I give you the gift of immortality. You will remain as you are now, for as long as it takes for you to accept your reality. Only then will life be fixed,” she smirked, “I might even allow you to keep your memories if I so wish.”

A gentle summer breeze picked up. The boys blinked in surprise; the sun was setting...when had that happened? They looked at each other, confused, then back at the olive tree, but the woman was gone.

“What was she talking about?” Jason muttered, confused, “Did you see her too...?”

Perseus shook his head, “No,” he said firmly, “I think we must have fallen asleep,” he seemed rattled as he picked up his sword and shoved it into his sheathe.

“What, standing up?”

“Look, Jason, you can have Phile if you want. I’m planning on leaving Athens soon anyway,” he turned to walk down hill as if he couldn’t stand to be around Jason any longer.

The blond’s stomach felt heavy, “Wait!” he called after Perseus, “What if we’re immortal now?!”

“This isn’t some Greek myth!” Perseus shouted back, his voice growing fainter as he descended towards Athens, “Just go home!”

**11th October, 146BCE (910 years later). Corinth, Greece. **

The streets were wet with blood to the point where Perseus kept slipping on it; everywhere he looked dead bodies sprawled onto the cobble-stones, women and children and men alike. The din of metal against metal seemed to be hammering itself into Perseus’ head, but the moon and the stars overhead did not seem to care about the city of Corinth falling.

Perseus knew he would live long: he knew after he had outlived his wife, and their children, and their grandchildren, when he had not aged a day since that day on the hill with the olive tree above Athens. He knew he would see many travesties but he never thought he would see the end of Greece.

He had come to Corinth in hopes of living out some years undercover, without people realising that Aphrodite _had _indeed cursed him with immortality, and now the city was falling to Roman conquerors and even with the support of the Achaean League, Perseus knew the city didn’t stand a chance.

Those bloody Romans.

A screaming woman rushed down an alleyway, clutching a babe to her chest, her wails barely breaking through all the screaming and shouting that filled the city as the Romans entered – smoke rose into the night sky.

Chasing the woman was a Roman soldier, sword raised. Furious, Perseus raced after him – he had learnt long ago that he could not be killed even from the most gruesome wound, and it gave him an unhealthy relationship with danger which he now took full advantage of as he struck down the Roman, plunging his sword into the man’s back: he fell with a grunt, dead. The woman didn’t stop running – Perseus watched her turn into another narrow alleyway of Corinth, still screaming. He knew she would die, he knew _most _ of the Corinthians would die, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

When Aphrodite cursed him with this loneliness that was inadvertently attached to the immortality, she hadn’t given Perseus any other powers, but he didn’t need enhanced hearing to notice the sound of debris cracking behind him under someone’s feet as they snuck up on him.

Perseus turned, sword raised, and caught the sword of the Roman with his own, using the element of surprise to throw him back. The Roman stumbled, but didn’t attack again, instead staring in Perseus at shock. For a moment the Grecian was confused, then he noticed the familiarity in the striking, blue eyes shining out from behind the _galea _on the Roman’s head.

“Jason?” he whispered.

The sound of battle seemed to dim around them, and the world narrowed to just the alleyway, almost in the way it had that day on the hill. Jason sheathed his blood-covered sword and pulled the helm off his head. His golden hair was the same as it had been almost a millennium ago, albeit matted to his forehead with sweat. He was tall, broader than Perseus remembered, but he had not aged a day.

Perseus hadn’t seen him in hundreds of years: a few weeks after their last meeting he had moved to Argos, where he met his wife and settled for many years. By the time he realised and finally accepted that the woman by the olive tree had been no dream, and returned to Athens to seek out his partner in crime in hopes of solving the eternal puzzle, Jason was long gone, and his grandchildren had nothing to tell Perseus, apart from story about their grandfather who never aged.

“Perseus,” the Roman seemed as shocked to see the Grecian as the boy was to see him, “I-I...,” Jason scrambled for words, “I had been looking for you. I went back to Athens, I...she wasn’t-“

“I know,” Perseus replied, dazed, “Aphrodite...she was real.”

Jason smiled suddenly, as if amid all this horror he was happy to see an old friend. Except they were not friends, “It’s so good to see you,” relief coloured the boy’s voice as he reached for Perseus.

The Grecian jumped back, disgusted, “Don’t touch me.”

Jason frowned, “W-What? It’s just sweat. And blood. You’re covered in it too.”

_“Yes,” _Perseus hissed, anger flooding him now that the element of shock had faded, “but it’s not the blood of our people. What in Zeus’ name are you doing with the Romans?!”

Jason sighed, and he seemed a little ashamed as he looked to the side, “Almost a thousand years...that’s a long time. A lot of friendships and alliances,” he shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess seeing all the people I love grow old and die, all the wars and things...I don’t feel any loyalty to Greece anymore. It’s in the past, and I knew I had to keep moving forward if I wanted to find you and get rid of this immortality. I just...,” he looked at Perseus and bit his lip, “The Roman Empire is growing, I had better chances with them rather than become a slave.” He smiled at Perseus the way he had never smiled at him before, “But that doesn’t matter anymore. I found you. Now we can fix this mess together.”

Hate and wrath seemed to pump through Perseus instead of blood, “If you think,” he gritted poisonously between his teeth, “That I will join forces with you on your sick, little, traitorous quest, then you are out of your mind.”

“What?” Jason didn’t understand, “Perseus...this city is going to fall, and I don’t want you to fall with it. You’re my only hope at a normal life.”

“I don’t want to be your hope. You’re a disgusting traitor, and I’d rather be a slave than your ally,” and with that he turned and threw himself down the same alleyway the woman with the child had ran down, overwhelmed. Jason shouted after him but Perseus didn’t catch his words. The two of them had never been friends, quite the opposite actually, but to see someone from home after so, so long, turn out to be the enemy broke Perseus.

He dodged the body of the woman and her child crumpled in the alleyway, both of their skulls smashed in, and as the Roman soldiers captured and chained him a few streets down, he prayed to Aphrodite that he would never see Jason again.

**8th June 793AD (939 years later) Lindisfarne, Northumberland**

The old monk dropped the heavy manuscripts in front of Jason on the old wooden table in the library.

“Thank you, brother,” Jason replied. The old monk looked at him with distrust – ever since Jason had appeared at the monastery, he got the feeling that the other monks thought he might be possessed by the devil, especially this old fart. Honestly, they weren’t far off.

“Read the word of the Lord carefully,” Brother Wilfrid replied curtly, “and translate it _word for word,” _he emphasised, “take care with the manuscripts, they are precious.”

“If they are so precious would it not be wise to hide them with the others? The Danes have been spotted upriver from here.”

_“Hmph,” _Brother Wilfrid turned away, “You do not make the decisions here, Brother Jack. Now, translate-“

He didn’t get to finish because shouts sounded from downstairs and moments later a young monk in the same heavy brown robes that Jason and Wilfrid were wearing, burst through the door, flushed.

“They’re here!” he exclaimed, “The Danes!”

“God forgive us!” Brother Wilfrid muttered, turning to Jason, “Take the manuscript into the basement, _now.”_

Jason didn’t have to be told twice. After the horrors of the ancient wars he had taken this life of piousness and peace to try and atone for the war crimes he committed, and as far as he was concerned he wanted to be as far away from these Danes as possible. Especially since if any of the monks found out he was immortal, they’d definitely think him and the devil were best friends.

Jason sprinted down the stone steps of the priory, the manuscripts under his arm. He passed flushed, panicking monks as they ran around the place, carrying important manuscripts and artefacts in an attempt to hide them in the walls and floors – if the Danes were coming, they were coming for the goods, and undoubtedly the priory would be ransacked just like any other village.

As Jason passed windows, he could see the gorgeous Viking ships on the river, and their less than gorgeous occupants pouring over the sides with axes and empty sacks, heading for the priory. Best case scenario they would take hostages, worst case scenario they would murder everyone here.

He pulled open the trapdoor to the basement just as the first screams echoed outside; clearly the Danes weren’t asking many questions. Jason slipped into the dark, damp basement and lit a candle; it illuminated barrels of hidden wine, stacks of old manuscripts and dirt, dust-covered artefacts. He shoved his manuscript on top of the others, knowing full well the Danes would get them anyway. He felt on edge, not _scared _exactly since he knew he was in no real danger, but he just hoped one of these brutes smashed his skull quickly so Jason could play dead on the floor and wait for them to leave. He also hoped they wouldn’t try burning his body.

He sat on a barrel and waited – the sound of chaos spread throughout the priory; throwing, slamming, the shouts and screams of his brothers. Jason winced at them, his heart aching. He hated to see other humans suffer, he had seen so much of it, _too much, _and he buried his head in his hands. His robes smelled musty – he just wanted the screaming to end already.

Thankfully moments later a Dane dropped through the trapdoor, great-axe in hand. Jason was almost glad – maybe whatever pain was inflicted on him would render him unconscious so he didn’t have to listen to the monks dying.

“Just get it over with,” Jason muttered to the Viking.

The laughter that erupted took him aback. Jason frowned. It was fairly dim in the basement, just the candle and a shaft of grey daylight slanting through the trapdoor giving any sort of illumination. In this semi-darkness he could make out the frame of the Dane, not as huge and bulky as the other Vikings and seeming fairly young, with leather pants and a loose shirt and barely any armour. The great-axe in his hand was in-place, but the Greek sword at his side seemed out of place.

Jason jerked to his feet, eyes wide, and Perseus stepped into the candle-light. His eyes were cold, but he was still young and handsome, as he had been when Jason last saw him.

“Aphrodite must be playing a joke on us, huh?” the dark-haired boy bared his teeth in an animalistic grin. He seemed wilder, but running with the Vikings would do that for you.

“Perseus,” Jason whispered, “I haven’t seen you since-“

“Since you left me to rot in Rome?” Perseus asked, cocking his head to the side, studying Jason, “Aye, that wasn’t very nice, but the past is in the past,” his grin widened, “So, you a monk now, how fitting. Your little brothers up there,” Perseus looked to the ceiling through which the screams of the monks still pierced through, “know about all the war crimes?”

“Why are you here?” Jason demanded, “Why are you with the Danes?”

“Well,” Perseus’ smile melted from his face and his eyes grew serious and angry. Suddenly he was once more the boy in the blood-soaked tunic standing in a dark alleyway in Corinth, “I can’t exactly be with the Greeks, can I?”

“You said yourself: the past is in the past. It’s almost been another thousand years. _Two thousand years, _Perseus. We ought to forget this stupid rivalry and finally end this torture.”

“Torture?” Perseus laughed darkly, “What do you know about torture? Remember my years as a Roman slave? Fighting in the pits wasn’t fun,” he growled.

“I asked you to join me!” Jason yelled back.

“Well,” Perseus swung the axe over his shoulder and looked down at Jason coldly, “Care to join the Danes?”

Jason could still hear the screaming of the monks being slaughtered above him. He remembered Perseus in his armour, standing in the blood-soaked streets of Corinth all those centuries ago, and suddenly he understood.

“No,” he whispered. He had no loyalty to this priory, but he just could not do it. Perseus pressed his axe into Jason’s throat.

“So, funny thing, Jason. I don’t think this is torture – in fact, I’m having real fun with the Danes. They think I’m a hero, they think I’m immortal. Well,” he shrugged, “I am. They’re not scared of me, they cling to me like moths to a flame.”

“I don’t see how that’s funny,” Jason said in a dull tone. Perseus pressed the axe a little harder, slicing Jason skin a little. The monk winced.

“The funny thing is, you’re about to find out about this whole torture situation. Danes love a good hostage.”

**November 1348 (555 years later), Lyon, France. **

Jason sat in his cottage, watching the ghostly streets through the window. It was another drab, grey day in Lyon with the rain pit-pattering depressingly onto the thatched roofs of the town, and the coughing and wailing of the sick piercing the air.

Why was it that Jason could never get away from the pain? As centuries past there always seemed to be a new war, a new tragedy, and now this - The Plague. It swept over the world, making ugly black bulbs appear on people’s bodies and killing them excruciatingly slow. Naturally, Jason couldn’t catch it, so he just watched and listened as the whole town succumbed to it. He really wanted to get out of Europe.

He sighed and looked at the interior of his dark, dull cottage. There was a narrow straw bed, a fireplace, a hole in the roof leaking grey rain. It had been hundreds of years since Jason had managed to make a meaningful connection with another person, and although he had spent a few years in Lyon he failed to meet anyone who truly understood him. The loneliness was nestling violently in his heart and he just wanted to leave, to die. But that wasn’t possible. He had forsaken the missing piece of the puzzle many, many years ago, when he had been abandoned at the mercy of the Danes that did not even exist anymore.

Jason watched as a sickly thin, pale man shuffled down the dirt pathway between the houses. He was sweaty, covered in sores, muttering to himself incoherently. His eyes were dead and he dragged one of his feet behind him. He was oozing puss. It was a horrid sight Jason had gotten used to by now. Maybe it was the end of the world.

The sick man never made it to where he was going; with a low moan his bone-thin legs gave out and he fell face-first onto the ground. No nurse ran out to help, nobody rushed to move the body. Jason knew he was dead, and he knew there were few people in this town who were still healthy or willing to help the sick.

Jason knew he could not do anything. He watched the man’s body with nothing else to do. A crow circled overhead, cawing, and landed on the man’s back. It pecked at his spine. Another man approached down the road, a black hood over his head, a sack slung over his shoulder.

Jason sat up. He had never seen this man in Lyon before and he woke with a healthy stride. _Is this Death? _Jason thought.

The man came to the corpse and shooed the crow away – it flew to a nearby roof and perched there, watching the stranger just as intensely as Jason was watching him. The figure knelt by the dead man. It was like the time on the olive tree hill all over again – the blond was sure something supernatural was about to take place, that the figure would pull out a scythe and ease the soul of the dead man from his body...

The figure began rummaging through the man’s pockets. In his shock, Jason burst from his cottage, “Hey!” he shouted, “You can’t rob him, he’s _dead! _Have some respect!”

The figure paused, “Since when do you care about respect?”

Jason deflated. He knew that voice. It made his heart pound, “Perseus?”

Perseus pushed his hood back. His dark hair was long and pulled into a ponytail, his face thin and malnutritioned, his eyes the same. They were green like the Mediterranean sea, and defiant as always.

Perseus didn’t seem shocked to see Jason, and promptly returned to the robbery.

“What in God’s name are you doing?!” Jason spluttered.

“What?” Perseus shrugged, pulling a few coins from the dead man’s pocket, “He doesn’t need it anymore.”

“Have you no morals?!”

“Says the man who murdered hundreds of innocents,” Perseus said in an almost sing-song voice, examining a golden coin up to the light. Jason gaped at him.

“Says the man who kept me hostage for six years!” he yelled.

“That wasn’t me,” Perseus pointed out, pocketing the coin, “That was Erik, I just delivered you to him.”

“He tried to make me marry his _sister!”_

“Aw, don’t tell me you’re still in love with Phile,” Perseus mocked.

“Phile?” Jason blinked – the name sounded familiar, but his past was so shrouded...

Perseus started laughing, “This is ridiculous. You can’t even remember how this whole thing started!” he stood up and dusted off his hands, “Whatever, I’m out of here.”

He turned back the way he came.

“You can’t be serious!” Jason exclaimed.

“What, you still hung up on the whole ‘let’s be allies’ thing?” Perseus huffed.

“No,” Jason said coldly, “I can never forgive you for what you did.”

“Right back at you, traitor.”

“But at least helped me bury this man. Seems nobody else will do it.”

Perseus started laughing, then rubbed a grubby hand down his face, “You really are full of surprises. First you fight me over a stolen kiss, then you murder a city full of innocent people, then you become a monk, and now you ask me to help you bury a stranger in a disease stricken hellhole.”

Jason looked at him, “You sure remember a lot. You going to help me or not?”

“Whatever,” Perseus rolled his eyes, “Clearly Aphrodite intended for us to meet, so I might as well give you a hand for this man’s sake.”

He didn’t say much more as they dragged him behind the cottages together, into a muddy, wet field that had become somewhat of a mass grave with shovels scattered about haphazardly and bodies wrapped in sheets stacked on top of each other. Lyon had long ago ran out of people to bury the dead.

“Get to digging,” Perseus said, as he perched on a tree-stump and started fiddling with two sticks.

“Weren’t you going to help me?”

“I’m making a cross,” Perseus pointed out.

“How do you know this man was Christian?”

“We’re in _Europe,” _Perseus said in disgust, “Jesus is a big deal here.”

Jason didn’t feel like arguing as he dug the hole. Perseus started singing a happy tune in French as if the rain and the drab situation didn’t bother him. Even though Jason’s muscles started to ache after a few minutes, and his stomach clenched with malnutrition, for the first time in many, many years he felt an unfamiliar emotion spark in his chest. It made the shovel in his chest lighter, and his head full of air, and a subconscious smile creep onto his face.

Perseus sitting there, making a cross from two sticks and singing in French was making him happy as he dug a grave. Seconds ago Jason had hated him, and now all he wanted was to pull the man into this grave and hold him tight. How many years had it been since he had been close to someone?

Jason allowed himself to get lost in his own thoughts and memories. He remembered being a happy child in the sunny streets of Athens. He remembered Perseus, always cheeky, always picking a fight with him. When did they start hating each other? Was it truly when they duelled on that hill? Or was it the atrocities they committed against each other after...?

Jason lost track of time, by the time he had finished digging the grave and climbed out of the hole, exhausted, night was falling.

His chest clenched painfully when he saw that Perseus had disappeared. On the tree stump laid a crude wooden cross. Tears welled up in Jason’s eyes and he fought the urge to call for Perseus.

How long would it be before they met again? As Jason laid the stranger to rest and said a prayer over him, he also prayed to Aphrodite that he would see the other boy soon.

**6thSeptember, 1620 (272 years later) Plymouth, England. **

Europe was making Percy feel physically sick and although there had been many expedition to the ‘new worlds’ in the last two hundred years, Percy didn’t really feel like crashing on a deserted island and starving for eternity. But now the New World was something more than a vague area on a map, it was a real, physical place with coordinates and routes. It was a fresh start, a place where Percy would hopefully get away from the prejudices of England, where he maybe could be himself and love who he wanted..._The Mayflower _would take him to that place.

He stood on the docks now with the other pilgrims, eagerly waiting to climb onboard their majestic vessel. It worried him a little that all the people around him were strict puritans, but Percy was sure that once they got to the New World he could pick a few of them and start a new colony that had less to do with God and more to do with love and freedom. Maybe there he would be happy, maybe he’d become the founding father of something big that would make this whole immortality thing feel less like a burden.

He climbed on board the ship eagerly; they already had to turn back twice in the last few months due to issues with their companion ship, _Speedwell, _but it seemed they would finally leave wretched Europe, though spending over two months on a ship full of stinky humans and their animals wouldn’t be pleasant.

Whatever, Percy had endured worse.

They all piled on, men, women and children alike and quickly hurried below the deck into a kind of cabin space, where people began putting down their belongings and spreading blankets on the ground. Percy’s eyes scanned the space as he tried to decide where he wanted to sleep.

“Perseus.”

Percy’s heart jumped and he whirled around. He hadn’t heard that name used in nearly one hundred years. _It can’t be, _he thought, but when he turned, he saw Jason behind him. His hair was long and golden, touching his shoulders, and he had grown an impressive beard for a forever-twenty year old. He had a black hat on, and blended in perfectly with the other pilgrims.

The sight of him filled Percy’s chest with overwhelming warmth, but he hurriedly pushed it aside.

“I go by Percy now,” he hissed harshly, so nobody else heard, “Percy Jackson.”

“Well, I was going to say, you did get stuck with an awfully Ancient Greek name,” Jason said, a faint smile on his lips. Percy clenched his hands into fists: he hated that every time he bumped into Jason, the blond seemed happy to see him.

They stepped to the side to let other pilgrims filter into the cabin; there were children whining and crying, people talking. It was loud. The ship pulled away from the dock.

“How come I didn’t see you before?” Percy demanded, “If I had known you were coming on this voyage I would have never come.”

“Same here. I was on the _Speedwell, _but when it got left behind I kind of...bribed my way onto the _Mayflower.”_

“I can’t believe this,” Percy gritted, crossing his arms over his chest, “What, you going to ask if I want to solve this mystery together now?”

“No,” Jason said, “It’s clear to me you do not care to give up your immortality, so keep it. I’m just trying to make a new life for myself, to be happy.”

Percy blinked. Jason looked tired. Percy imagined him with a wife and children; it suited him. Percy’s chest felt tight and he quickly shoved past the other man, and headed for the deck. The sun was setting and already Plymouth was fading away into the distance. The salty smell of the sea calmed Percy and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply – the sea made him feel at peace.

“Aphrodite,” he murmured, even though the goddess had always been silent, “This has no purpose. Let it end.”

***

The cabin ended up jam-packed with people resting on the floors, families all together whispering prayers, and Percy didn’t feel like sleeping along-side them. It’s not that he disliked people, in fact he enjoyed their company, but he had long ago learnt that making meaningful attachments just ended in pain as mortals passed on and he didn’t.

So he chose to sleep in the shallop, a little life boat up on the deck. It could fit about ten people sitting down but since Percy was the only one there he stretched out fairly comfortably under his ratty blanket.

Just as he was getting used to the sharp, piercing night air and getting lulled into sleep after an exhausting day, the shallop shifted.

Percy sat bolt upright.

“Relax,” Jason said, sitting at the other end with his own blanket, “It’s just me.”

“I was here first,” Percy snapped, irritated, “Get out.”

“Taking the boat all to yourself?” Jason’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “It’s not very pilgrim of you.”

“Oh _please. _You still on that religous bullshit? I thought the Vikings would have beat that out of you.”

Jason’s face grew solemn, “Don’t make jokes. I can’t stand being down there.”

“Well find someplace else to sleep!” Percy all but yelled, “This is _my _boat.”

Jason sighed, “Listen, I hate you as much as you hate me,” Jason said, “but honestly I don’t know any of these people, and I would prefer not to be seen as a loner. So what do you say we stick this one out together and the moment we get to the New World, we promise not to bump into each other again.”

Thing was, Percy didn’t hate Jason. Back in Athens he had been madly in love with the boy, though that time seemed fuzzy now. He remembered craving Jason’s attention, and never getting it, unless he was playing a prank of angering the blond in some way. But that love had died on that street in Corinth, after which Percy was captured and tortured. Now when he looked at Jason all he wanted was to punch him in the face.

“No,” he said coldly. He remembered the faraway hurt of heartbreak, distant, something he had not felt in years. But it was a bitter memory. He refused to allow himself even the opportunity to fall for Jason again, only to feel that heartbreak again. “You can sleep here, but we are _not _friends.”

“Fine,” Jason said, equally as cold.

They slept side by side for 66 days, and once _The Mayflower _landed in the New World, they parted ways, hoping to never see each other again.

**29th September 1917 (297 years later), Belgium. **

Jason might have been alive for two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-three years, but even all the metaphorical ‘wisdom’ that he had gained in that time wasn’t enough to prevent him from being drafted into the American troops during the outbreak of the war, and honestly, Jason kind of _wanted _to fight. He had seen America grow into a metropolis around him, and when they joined the war in Europe, he didn’t protest his orders.

So now here he was, in a cold, wet trench in fuck-off Belgium, for god knows how much longer. Sure, he was fresh here, having only been deployed for around six months, but _god _was it miserable. The summer had been sticky-sweet, full of flies and mosquitoes and rotting flesh, but European soldiers told him it got much, much worse in the winter. Already the autumn rains were driving Jason crazy as the soldiers waded through two inches of dirty water permanently instilled at the bottom of their trench.

But Jason had the comfort of knowing he could not die, so life here wasn’t so hard for him as it was for some other soldiers. While they lamented never seeing their families again, Jason’s family had died thousands of years ago and he did not keep track of any descendants, so it didn’t really matter to him. Despite that, he was well liked in the trench because he knew almost everyone’s language, bringing about a gentle reminder of home for many of the soldiers.

And Jason was happy with this image of him, with his virtual anonymity. He introduced himself as Jason, with the surname Grace that he had started using during his time with the English monks in the monastery, and said he was twenty with Greek roots, and many soldiers accepted that. They didn’t pry, didn’t ask about a sweetheart back home or why he never wrote letters. They were happy to drink with him when they had drinks, and swap stories. Of course Jason’s stories were often tamed down; he didn’t tell them about ancient Greek and Roman wars he fought in, that he had been abducted by Vikings or that he had sailed on _The Mayflower _with American forefathers. He _did, _however, tell them about his arch-nemesis and their vicious fight over a girl many, many years ago – in these stories he likened Percy to a demon who kept somehow popping up in the same place he did, even though in reality Jason hadn’t seen his enemy since he had disappeared from their settlement in Cape Cod almost three hundred years ago. Still, the image of Percy’s defiant eyes were the clearest thing Jason could picture most nights as he tried to fall asleep among his comrades.

One September afternoon nothing much was happening out on no-man’s land and so Jason and his friends sat on some old cargo boxes, playing blackjack. That was when they heard commotion behind them and saw a large group of unknown men heading down the trench, setting their bags down wherever they could.

“What’s going on?” Jason asked.

His friend Archie pulled a cigarette from his pocket, “That’s the 10th infantry division,” he said, lighting his cigarette, “the Captain mention the Belgians were sending some reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements?” Pierre huffed, “We don’t need them, we’re doing fine.”

“Tell that to Bernard,” Jason muttered. The friends fell quiet, remembering the friend they had lost the week before, whose body had not been recovered from the barbed wire in no-man’s land.

Thankfully Jason was hurriedly distracted from the sombre moment when he saw a familiar face in the unfamiliar crowd, heading his way.

“Oh-oh,” he muttered.

“What?” Pierre asked, twisting to see who Jason was looking at.

“Remember my nemesis? Percy?”

“Yup,” Archie chuckled, “The one who constantly follows you around?” it was clear he thought Jason’s stories were exaggerated. The blond swallowed.

“Yeah. He’s here.”

“What?!” the soldiers exclaimed and all whirled around to stare at Percy as he approached. It was clearly him, the short dark hair, the confident sea-green gaze. He wore a Belgian uniform, and how he ended up fighting for them, Jason had no idea. The important thing was, Percy saw him too.

He stopped in front of Jason and his friends, all of them gaping at each other.

“What are you doing here?” Jason asked, which was a stupid question.

“You promised we wouldn’t bump into each other!” Percy exploded suddenly, his shock passing and being replaced by irritation.

“Oh, right, _my bad,” _Jason said sarcastically, the irritation lending itself to him too, “Let me just _swap trenches. _I’m sure the Germans will take me in.”

Archie snickered, “I can’t believe all the shit you said was true. You really _are _following Jason around.”

Percy glared at the man, “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you know squat about mine and Jason’s business,” he snapped, then looked at Jason, “a _word.”_

He hurried away, and Jason didn’t hesitate in scrambling through the mud after him. The trench suddenly felt lighter, sunnier. Jason’s breath came out all weird.

Percy pulled him into a grove in the trench wall, angry, “You told your friends about me?!” he demanded.

Jason shrugged, feeling stupid, “I...I didn’t think you’d show up.”

Percy groaned, “Fantastic, now I bet they think I’m some love-sick puppy who follows you around.”

“Since when do you care what people think?”

“Since-,” Percy stopped abruptly. He took a deep breath, “Look. Just stay the fuck away from me.”

“It’s a pretty narrow trench,” Jason said dryly. Percy’s eyes narrowed.

“Fate might want to keep knocking us together, but I’m not gonna let it,” he said firmly, turned on his heel and stomped down the trench through the mud.

***

Jason didn’t see Percy for the next few weeks but he spent a lot of that idle time trying to spot him in the crowds, problem was that a lot of the men had greasy, dirty hair and so Percy’s raven-black head was hard to spot. Besides, Jason was sure the boy was extra-careful to stay as far away from Jason as he could.

October was cold, the war dragged on into winter and Jason couldn’t sleep at night. He remembered sharing the shallop with Percy on _The Mayflower, _waking up wet from the sea-spray, freezing. But this freezing was different, hollow.

Mid-way through October they got orders for a night attack to try and push back no man’s land and gain some territory for them. Jason was used to things like this, he geared up with his friend’s in deathly silence as they contemplated their mortality, something Jason could not join in with.

Once they crawled out of the trench and inches over the muddy, freezing wasteland towards the distant darkness where the Germans waited to start shooting, they were alone. The cold nigh air bit at Jason’s exposed cheeks and his breath felt terribly harsh in his ears. His gun pressed into his back as he crept along the edges of old holes created by grenades, his hands occasionally skimming over bodies and pieces of clothing. It was painfully dark and Jason was glad; he hoped not to see Bernard hanging limply in the barbed wire.

The first shot echoed through the night like a bomb being dropped. Jason flinched, curled protectively around himself, helmet pressed into the ground. Someone screamed – they had been spotted.

“Retreat!” someone shouted, just as the air lit up with bullets. They ricochet off the barbed wire, sending sparks into the air. Grenades exploded nearby, the screaming began as the soldiers scrambled blindly back towards the trench, praying they were not hit. Jason crawled speedily back the way he came as his comrades fell around him, sobbing, crying.

And then Jason tumbled into a grenade hole.

“Shit,” he gasped as he landed awkwardly though not overly painfully. He had forgotten this was here in his panic to get away. And apparently he wasn’t alone.

A whimper sounded to his left. The sounds of the fighting echoed around them, but they seemed far away as Jason crawled towards the body.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, though he could only make out the other man’s outline, “How badly are you hurt?”

He grabbed the man’s arm, hauled himself closer, an explosion illuminated Percy’s face contorted in pain.

Jason froze, “Percy,” he breathed.

“O-Of course it’s you,” Percy let out a painful laugh of disbelief. In the next explosion Jason saw the dark stain spreading across his chest, “I’ve b-been hit,” Percy struggled to get the words out, his breaths were shallow.

“Least you won’t die,” Jason muttered. Percy’s hands were red from where he was pressing on the wound. It was a deadly wound, but of course Percy couldn’t die. Jason exhaled – the fighting was starting to get quieter, there were no more people to shoot, “Right, I don’t know how I can help-,” Jason made to get up, yearning for the slightly warmer temperature of the trench.

Percy’s hand shout out and he grabbed Jason’s arm, “P-Please,” he gasped, “D-Don’t go.”

Jason stared at him in shock. Never in all their years knowing each other had Percy asked for help. But now he looked terrified.

“I-It really hurts,” he whispered faintly.

Something overcame Jason; he dropped to his knees beside Percy and dragged the man to him so Percy’s head rested in his lap. He brushed the boy’s hair from his forehead and Percy let him, closing his eyes and breathing painfully.

“You’re going to be okay,” Jason whispered, and the words seemed to soothe Percy a little – he unclenched his jaw, “You’re going to be just fine.”

“I-I’m scared,” Percy whispered helplessly, “I-I know I c-can’t die...b-but I don’t w-want to stay here, a-alone...”

“I know, I know, shhh,” Jason murmured, cradling Percy up against him. He was the only person who understood.

“D-Don’t leave me,” Percy stuttered, gripping at Jason’s arm desperately. He knew what happened to gravely wounded men out here; they’d often get left behind in no man’s land, forced to die in excruciating pain, all alone.

Jason grabbed Percy’s hand and squeezed it, “You’re going to be okay,” he reiterated, and Percy squeezed his hand back so tightly it was almost as if he depended on Jason to keep breathing.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours. The sky began to go from black to grey and Jason stroked Percy’s feverish cheeks and reminded him of Ancient Greece, and just talked absolute nonsense as Percy laboured over the pain that should have killed him. At dawn the medics came, hurrying with their heads bent through no man’s land, and thankfully the Germans allowed them to pass and did not shoot.

They found Jason and Percy in the hole, covered in blood.

“Thank God,” Jason gushed as they dropped into the hole with a stretcher.

“Are you both hurt?” one of the medics demanded.

“No,” Jason forced his hand out of Percy’s even though the boy tried to cling on, “Just him.”

The other medic leaned over the dark-haired boy, “He’s not gonna make it. We have to leave him.”

Percy moaned in protest. Jason grabbed the arm of the medic and squeezed, “Trust me,” he said firmly, “He’s going to live, just get him out of here.”

Something in his voice must have persuaded the medic, or maybe it was Aphrodite interfering. Either way the medics loaded up Percy onto the stretcher. The three able-bodied soldiers rushed through the icy-cold no-man’s land, through the now-frozen mud. Jason was glad when they slid back into their trench.

“Jason,” Percy tried to reach for him, but the medics were already rushing down the trench, shoving past more mildly injured soldiers to try and get Percy a transport to the nearest hospital.

Jason watched them go and his throat tightened. Suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe; for the first time in almost three thousand years, he didn’t want to let Percy go. He wanted to run after him and stop them from taking him away for god knows how long, but what was he meant to say? _We’re immortal and have been destined to do something together for three thousand years, we just don’t know what. _All that would earn him was a dishonourable discharge.

Jason slid down the wall of the trench, feeling numb. Archie walked up to him with a whiskey flask. He offered it to his friend.

“Tough night, huh? Good on you for bringing that Belgian back, thought you hated him though.”

“Yeah,” Jason murmured, “Maybe I don’t.” He took the flask from Archie and revelled in the burn of the alcohol down his throat. He just wanted to forget this night.

“I don’t think he’s gonna make it. That wound looked pretty serious.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Jason muttered.

**July 1931 (14 years later), Chicago, America. **

Percy cleaned off the glass, his eyes scanning the patrons at the dimly-lit, cigarette-smoke filled bar. Percy was dressed smartly in a white button-up shirt, a black vest and a black bowtie. His hair was gelled to the side in a perfect wave. He looked perfectly in place in this perfectly ordinary, mysterious bar.

Except it wasn’t a bar, it was a speakeasy, and by working here as a barman Percy was breaking American law.

Whatever. He always thought prohibition was ridiculous anyway. Still, he didn’t particularly like jail so as he went about his work he kept an eye on the customers to see if anyone looked out of place, like they could be a cop. Slow, melancholy jazz music filled the spacious room.

“Whiskey, neat,” a burly man with a neat moustache said, walking up to the bar. A fat cigar hung from the corner of his mouth.

“Coming right up, sir,” Percy replied, already reaching for the right glass. He poured the amber liquid inside, took the man’s money, and passed it over the counter. The moment he did, the door at the end of the bar opened and a man walked in.

He was dressed smartly, his blond hair styled in a little curl over his brow. He was awfully good looking, and awfully familiar. There was no mud on his face, no blood on his clothes. He looked like a perfect gentleman.

His eyes landed on Percy and widened, then he rushed to the empty bar. Percy picked up an already clean glass and started polishing it with trembling hands to hide his nerves. He feigned nonchalance when Jason approached.

“You’re alive,” the blond gushed, barrelling into the bar. Percy couldn’t look at him, his heart pounded.

“Just as Aphrodite intended,” he said sarcastically.

Jason exhaled, “What are you doing here?”

“Working. Would you care to order anything, sir?”

“Stop playing games,” Jason said low in his throat, “You know this is illegal?”

Percy finally looked at him, defiantly. This is what he could deal with: another argument, “So?”

“So you’re just involved in crime now, huh?” Jason looked disgusted, “Is that how you’re dealing with all the trauma?”

Perseus rolled his eyes, “Oh please. After everything we’ve seen I just want to have some _fun.”_

Jason sighed, “How about trying to figure out what Aphrodite was talking about all those years ago, huh?”

Percy smirked, “Sorry, not interested.”

“What?”

“I kinda like being immortal, don’t you?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed, “You know I’m an undercover police man, don’t you?”

“Oh, I know,” Percy said casually, “First a monk, now a cop. You really are hitting all the marks.”

“Percy-“

“Are you going to arrest me?” Percy asked.

Jason sighed, rubbed between his eyes, “No.”

“Good. What do you want to drink?”

“Glass of red wine,” Jason said dejectedly, giving up. Percy smiled lopsidedly.

“Huh, see the monk is still in you, aye?” he winked, “you guys did have a _big _stash of wine at Lindisfarne.”

Jason didn’t say anything. The bar got a little busier so Percy served customers as Jason sat at the edge and brooded; occasionally Percy would top up his wine until it got to closing time and Percy realised that Jason’s cheeks were red and his eyes were unfocused.

“So,” Percy said when he had turned the lights up, ushered everyone out and locked the door. He wiped down surfaces and Jason followed him lazily with his eyes, “Where have you been the last few years?”

“Here and there,” Jason mumbled. Percy grabbed a broom and went out from behind the bar, beginning to sweep. Jason turned on his stool to face him, slumping against the counter. The way he was looking at Percy, so openly, was making him feel awkwardly warm, “What happened to you after you go shot?”

Percy shrugged, “Got put into a hospital. Doctors called me a ‘miracle.’ Was discharged. I didn’t really know what to do with myself so I came back to America.”

“Ah,” Jason said. When Percy went to sweep beneath his stool, Jason grabbed his arm. His face was awfully close, and his breath smelled like wine, “I’m glad you’re okay,” the blond murmured, vulnerable.

Percy’s heart stammered. He gripped the broom a little harder, “I...,” he looked at his shoes, “let’s not talk about that night,” he whispered. Jason pulled him closer, looping an arm around Percy’s waist to stop him from getting away, “_Jason,” _Percy said slowly, a warning.

Jason pressed his hand against Percy’s chest, right where he had been shot. Percy flinched, “Do you have a scar?”

“I have a lot of scars,” Percy whispered. Jason looked up at him. His eyes were brilliantly blue.

“Why do you hate me?” he asked softly. All his defences were down because of all the wine.

“Y-You,” Percy swallowed hard, “You tried to kill me over a _girl.”_

Jason frowned, “That was _ages _ago. I don’t even remember her _name.”_

“You were mad because I kissed her!”

Jason’s frowned deepened, “Oh. That kind of rings a bell. Why did you kiss her?”

“None of you business!”

Jason’s arms tightened around Percy, pulling him inappropriately close, “Well I’m not mad anymore,” he proclaimed.

“I’ll give you something to be mad about,” Percy growled, dropped the broom, grabbed Jason’s face and crashed their mouths together. He had kissed plenty in his many lifetimes; men, women. But it never made his heart race, not like this. It wasn’t even a good kiss, Jason was in shock and Percy was just smooshing their lips together, and honestly he wasn’t doing it to get Jason’s mad. He was doing it because he really wanted to.

He pulled away when he decided he made enough of a fool of himself. His face was red, as was Jason’s, “You mad now?”

“No,” Jason replied immediately, and hauled Percy into his lap, grabbing him by the back of his head and kissing him fiercely. Percy was glad he was sitting because his legs felt like mush – he gasped, confused, and Jason’s hot tongue plunged into his mouth. Percy melted, forgetting his inhabitations and clinging onto Jason as he kissed back just as desperately. It felt so good to be this close to someone, this close to _Jason. _

The blond moaned into Percy’s back, making reality crash back down over him. Percy leapt off Jason’s lap and the blond was too drunk to grab him in time.

“You’re drunk,” Percy got a hold of himself, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Jason looked dazed. He reached for Percy but the boy flinched away, his whole body burning, “You need to go.”

“No,” Jason pouted unlike himself, “I’ll go and then when I come back tomorrow to arrest everyone in this establishment,” he slurred, “You’ll be gone.”

“I’m hailing you a taxi,” Percy said, just as Jason slumped against the bar and passed out.

Percy _did _call him a taxi, tipping well to have the driver come downstairs and haul Jason into the backseat. Percy didn’t know Jason’s address so he just asked the man to drop him at the nearest hotel. Then he closed up the speakeasy for the night, and never came back.

**2nd August 1944 (13 years later), France. **

Jason couldn’t believe he was partaking in another war, and on the _German _side for that. After waking up severely hungover thirteen years earlier and realising Percy had indeed skipped town again, Jason couldn’t take being in America anymore and so he moved to Germany since their economy was finally getting back to its feet after WW1. Even though Jason had fought against them in said war, he bore no ill will towards the people and found he fit into the work-orientated society pretty well. 

Then bad things happened really fast: Adolf Hitler was elected chancellor, there was a shift in people’s attitudes towards the Jewish population, legislation passed...Jason kept thinking it was just a glitch, that people would open their eyes and things would go back to normal. By the time Jason realised what kind of fucked up society he was living in now, it was too late to leave, and so here he was, on the front, fighting for a nation whose ideals disgusted him. He was jogging over a hill in France, his gun strapped to his back as he rushed between camps to deliver a message to the SS-Sturmbannführer, when all he could think about was how to switch sides. It wasn't like he could just jump into the British trenches and shout 'hey! please take me in!', he'd get shot on sight. No, he had to be smart about this...

It was a humid, atrociously hot afternoon, with the sun cheerfully beating down on Jason, making him sweat buckets in his uniform as he ran. He was in a place that would have been beautiful under different circumstances; lush green fields accompanied by the summery smells of French summer. But Jason was aware that every blade of grass could be hiding a mine or a grenade, or a trap.

He crested another hill and saw an abandoned barn down below next to the burnt out ruins of what must have been a farmhouse. It made him feel unnerved more so that the barbed wires stretched across the muddy no man’s land in the last war he had fought. There was something about the seemingly innocent wooden structure bathed in sunlight that made Jason feel nauseous – at least in the trenches he knew what the dangers were, where the enemy was. Now as he pulled his gun off his back and aimed, nearing the farmhouse, he feared that if he saw movement he would shoot without checking if the person in the farmhouse was enemy of a civilian.

But nobody moved. Jason kicked open the door and found himself in a typical country barn filled with hay and not much else. Whatever animals had lived here had long since abandoned their home. Jason exhaled and slung his rifle back over his shoulder, letting down his guard. Exhaustion washed over him, and the hay seemed awfully inviting. He could hear crickets chirping in the grass outside, the hazy summer afternoon made it seem like there was no war going on.

The sound of the barn door creaking closed behind him reminded him that there very much was.

Jason whirled around, reaching for his gun as adrenaline sparked but it was too late. He froze, the mouth of a rifle pointing at the centre of his forehead. _Whatever, shoot me, _he thought, his breaths coming out laboured, _I’ll just have a really ugly scar. _

“Well, well, well,” the familiar voice sent a shock though Jason. The person was speaking English, unaccented, “What a surprise,” dry, sarcastic.

“Percy,” Jason exhaled, but the gun was not lowered. The blond could just make out Percy’s figure behind it, in a muddy brown uniform. He was with the British. Jason’s heart clenched.

“I pinned you for a lot of things,” Percy’s voice was a hiss of disgust, “But a dirty, racist Nazi wasn’t one of them.”

“I’m not,” Jason said hollowly, “I’m just following orders.”

“Save your bullshit,” Percy snarled. “I’m tired of this."

Jason sighed, "Look Perce. I don't agree with the Nazis."

"And yet here you are," Percy's eyes narrowed.

"I'm trying to get out of this," Jason snapped, frustrated, "I need to fucking get in touch with the Allies and switch sides."

"Switch sides? You think it's that easy?!"

"I know it's not," Jason snapped, "But I have a really bad feeling about all of this, and regardless who wins the war, I don't want to wear this uniform anymore."

"Doesn't matter anyway," Percy said, "I’ m ending this bullshit today.”

He was angry. Jason’s hands inched for his gun even though he knew he’d never reach it in time, “How? You’re going to give Aphrodite a call? Hi, I know we haven’t spoken in a few thousand years but do you mind giving me a hand?”

“Shut up,” Percy growled, pressing the mouth of the gun against Jason’s sweaty forehead. It was cool, “Maybe this is it. Maybe this whole time Aphrodite wanted one of us to kill the other.”

Jason wasn’t going to give him a chance to find out. Percy was unpredictable, so Jason used the element of surprise to bring his arm up and shove the gun to the side. Percy _actually _fired, the sound echoing hollowly through the barn. Jason gaped at him in shock, a little betrayed, but Percy was aiming again. Jason lunged himself at the boy, taken by the moment, and knocked him down into a pile of hay. He was physically bigger and managed to wrestle the rifle from Percy’s grip, throwing it aside.

But Percy was strong too; he kicked Jason in the stomach painfully and threw the blond off him as Jason curled up in pain. Then the dark-haired boy was on top of him, pining his arms down on either side of his body with his knees. Jason saw the dangerous gleam of a dagger in his hand and he struggled. He was suddenly more afraid that he had ever been.

“Stop. Moving,” Percy gritted out as the cold steel of the blade kissed Jason’s neck. The blond stilled, panic settling over him as he looked up at the boy. His sea-green eyes were full of anger – Jason knew Percy had a lot of reasons to kill him, and for some reason he felt if the boy slid his throat, it would work for once.

He thought about a patrol finding his body in this barn. _I’m not dying like this. _With a burst of energy Jason kicked Percy to the side, rolling on top of him and twisting his arm painfully behind his back. Percy cried out and released the dagger, and then tried to scramble away. But Jason had the advantage and he dragged Percy back underneath him. Percy flipped onto his back and tried to hit Jason in the face to get ahead, but Jason grabbed his arms and pinned them to the ground. He was flushed, there was straw in his hair.

“Fuck you!” he yelled in clear overwhelmed, sheer frustration.

“No fuck _you!” _Jason yelled back. Percy arched up and slammed his mouth against Jason’s. The blond’s eyes widened and he loosened his grip on Percy’s wrists, allowing the boy to immediately wrap them around his shoulders and pull him down into the hay, licking at Jason’s lips insistently. _Oh my god, _Jason thought, _he kissed me in the speakeasy. _He only remembered it in that moment.

The obnoxiously loud noise of an airplane passing overhead filled the barn. Jason tried to half-heartedly push Percy away before he gave into the heat in his stomach and relaxed into the hay. The plane circled overhead and the boys held their breaths, but eventually it just flew off. Jason and Percy continued to kiss.

“I-Is this because of the speakeasy?” Jason managed out between Percy’s hot, wet kisses. Somehow the blond’s hands had landed on the other boy’s hips and he wasn’t quite sure what they were doing there.

“What?” Percy muttered and then pressed a hand against Jason’s crotch. The blond gasped and on instinct jerked his hips back.

“No,” he whispered against Percy’s mouth, and the protest only made the dark-haired boy kiss harder. Their lips were soft, moving against each other between words like they couldn’t bring themselves to pull apart, “We can’t.”

“Shhh, shhh,” Percy’s fingers slid into Jason’s trousers, “Just this once. Just this once,” he muttered feverishly, and Jason couldn’t say no. Percy’s hand wrapped around his hard dick and Jason hissed in pleasure. He didn’t care that they were both dirty and on two sides of the war. In that moment he wanted Percy more than anything else in the world.

They heatedly pulled off their trousers and jackets, staying only in their dirty, soiled t-shirts, their dog-tags hanging around their necks. Sweat ran down Jason’s back as Percy wrapped his legs around the blond’s waist and pulled the man inside him with little preparation, wetting Jason’s dick with spit.

They both groaned at the initial penetration, and Jason curled up into Percy, pressing him down into the hay in an almost protective manner. Percy panted, sliding his fingers into the short hair at the nape of Jason’s neck, his thighs trembling around the boy’s waist. His insides were much, much hotter than the summer heat.

“God,” Jason groaned, unable to hold the noise back as he sloppily kissed just below Percy’s ear. It didn’t feel explosive or overwhelming, it was more intense and comforting, like being somewhere Jason was always intended to be. He wrapped his arms all the way around Percy and crushed the boy up against him. He didn’t mind the hay poking at them, or the weird smell of the barn, or a literal world war going on around them, “This feels so perfect,” he murmured into Percy’s ear, melting into the boy.

He pulled back to look at Percy, and the British soldier pulled him down by the back of the neck endearingly so their foreheads could touch, “Should’ve done this sooner,” he murmured, biting his bottom lip.

All the years of hating each other, and this didn’t feel weird or wrong at all. Jason started to move slowly, thrusting shallowly into his ‘nemesis,’ and he couldn’t help but agree – he couldn’t imagine sleeping side-by-side with this gorgeous human for 66 days and not wanting to touch him everywhere.

But Jason knew he couldn’t touch Percy everywhere right now; for once, they did not have time. Jason had a mission to accomplish, as did Percy probably. The blond gripped his face, plunging his tongue into the boy’s mouth as his thrusts sped up, promising himself he would find Percy again when this was over and make love to him properly.

_I have so much to say to you, _Jason thought, but he couldn’t get any words out. As he shoved his dick deeper into Percy, the boy started to moan breathlessly, and all Jason could do was focus on their sounds, on the way Percy felt against him. The air was electrifying, almost unbearably hot.

If anyone had seen them, a half-naked German and British soldier going at it like rabbits in an abandoned barn in France, they would have lost their shit. But there was nobody to see.

“Fuck,” Percy gasped, eyes close. He was clinging onto Jason, and he hadn’t loosened his grip for even a second as if afraid to let Jason go. The blond wanted to assure him that he wouldn’t go anywhere, that he didn’t want them to separate. Instead he ploughed Percy into the hay and whispered filthy, sweet promises into his ear.

“You’re so pretty. I wanna fuck you like this every day. _Fuck. _You feel amazing.”

Percy panted, his back arched, “O-Oh god,” he mewled, gripping Jason’s biceps, toes curling, “Fuck, _fuck. _Don’t stop.”

The boy pulled Jason down so he could kiss his neck, sucking and licking roughly as if wanting to leave marks on the blond. Jason groaned and sped up, thrusting into Percy roughly. The boy cried out and slumped against the hay, and Jason wrapped his hand around his throat and squeezed. Percy’s eyes widened and his dick jumped against his stomach – he grabbed it and started jerking himself off in time with Jason’s thrusts – it was obscene.

Jason’s thrusts slowed. He realised, painfully, that this would end soon, that he’d have to let Percy disappear once more, given neither of them killed each other. His grip on Percy’s throat lightened and Jason leaned down to press their foreheads together. Their lips were parted as they breathed heavily into each other’s mouths, and for a moment it was perfect and tender. Jason’s hand shifted so he could brush his thumb against Percy’s lower lip.

“I’m gonna come,” Percy whispered, almost _whined, _as he continued to stroke himself. Jason rolled his hips against him and Percy’s eyes fluttered shut as he moaned.

Jason committed the image of Percy tensing and coming over himself to memory as he continued to fuck him shallowly. Everything in him burned, and he tried desperately to stop himself from coming – he didn’t want this to be over so bad. He wanted to cry.

Percy melted into the hay in his post-orgasmic bliss. His face was a delicious red, his eyes half-lidded, his lips parted as he caught his breath.

“J-Jas,” he whispered hoarsely, pulling Jason close and stroking his cheeks as he kissed him, “You can come, it’s okay.”

It was all it took for Jason to lose control over his body and fall over that edge. He crushed Percy against him and moaned into his neck as he contorted and came inside the boy.

The setting sun filtered in through the holes in the wooden roof, illuminating the hay gold. _This is it, _Jason thought, squeezing Percy into his chest, _it’s over. _He was sure of it. The world stilled, silence fell. Then the distant German words floated into the barn.

Jason jerked away from Percy. They were still in France, it was still 1944. Nothing had changed.

“Shit,” Percy hissed, shoving Jason off and doing up his belt as the voices drew nearer, at least three of them, “fucking jerrys,” he pulled his gun from the hay.

“No,” Jason gasped, “What are you doing?!”

“What does it look like?” Percy snapped.

“What if you’re mortal now?” Jason blurted. Percy looked at him. Jason went red, “Because...you know...w-we...”

“Fucked? Doubt it. Too easy,” Percy snickered.

“Whatever,” Jason growled and shoved the surprised boy into the hay, “I’m not having you be mad for another century because you got taken prisoner again,” he dumped more hay on top of the boy.

“_Hey,” _Percy protested.

“Shush,” Jason whispered, “Just stay there and be quiet.”

The doors to the barn were thrown open and two smiley Germans walked in. They tensed when they saw Jason and raised their weapons but quickly dropped them.

“_Oh thank fuck,” _one of them said in German as the other laughed, “_thought it was a _Tommy,” he looked at Jason’s open pants, “_Having a wank there, friend?” _the two sniggered.

Jason hurriedly did up his belt, relieved that they didn’t see Percy under the hay: thankfully the dark haired boy had stayed quiet.

“_No,” _he responded in perfect German, “_Was taking a piss. I need to get going, I’m on a mission.”_

“_Aw, we’ll walk you.”_

The three of them walked out of the barn, Jason’s chest all in knots. He had so many things he wanted to say to Percy but he couldn’t risk outing his position in front of the enemy. With a heavy stomach he glanced back at the barn as they walked away.

_“What?” _one of the Germans asked, lighting a cigarette, “_You wanna burn it?”_

Jason almost flinched, “Nein. _Waste of good wood,” _he muttered and his comrades accepted this explanation. As they crested a French hill all Jason could hope for was that Percy was right and that they were still immortal, and that they would meet again some day.

**11th December 1967 (23 years later), New York City, America.**

As it turned out, Percy _was _right and the ‘curse’ of Aphrodite had not been lifted after the French barn ordeal, though it wasn’t like Percy could rub it in Jason’s face and tell him ‘told you’ smugly, because he had not seen the man in twenty three years, during which he had not aged a day. He had guiltily tried to look Jason up in German records but after the war ended everything got really muddled – people were missing, the Red Army was committing and covering war crimes in Eastern Europe, the Concentration Camps became public knowledge, and Percy found no trace of Jason. Bitterly disappointed for once, he decided to return to New York; he found a job as a bartender at a bar hidden between alleys, a bar he quickly found was a place secretive, much like the place he worked in during the Prohibition in the 30s, a place where homosexuals, drag queens and the whole community that he as a bisexual man was a part of, found solace from the harsh and bigoted world outside.

Despite the risk of arrest, Percy found the job incredibly rewarding. He enjoyed the shifts that dragged on into the early hours of the morning, he liked seeing the characters that walked into the establishment; men with boa feathers around their necks, women in men’s suits, men in women’s dresses, and everyone in between. It was exhilarating to be part of a space that was so wholly accepting of such an enigmatic crowd.

Percy’s meeting with Jason happened almost the same way it had happened thirty-six years ago in Chicago. He walked in through the door and hung back in the smoky corner. He wore dark tartan pants, a white, collared shirt and a brown suede jacket that looked too cold for December. His blond hair swooped to the side and he looked completely out of place, and uncomfortable as he took in all the colourful and energetic people around him, drinking, laughing, dancing.

He spotted Percy. Percy swore he felt Jason’s heart stop for a second, or maybe that was his own. They stared at each other, and for a moment Percy was terrified Jason would leave. Instead, the blond headed towards the bar slowly.

He stopped in front of Percy, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Percy responded, squeezing the dishcloth he had been holding way too tightly. Jason cleared his throat.

“What’s with the...,” he seemed a little awe-struck and he gave an awkward little wave at Percy’s face. The dark haired boy laughed out of the sheet absurdity of the situation.

“This?” he gestured to the glitter on his eyelids and the dark hair that fell almost to his shoulders, “Dunno. It’s fun.”

“R-Right,” Jason muttered, unable to look away from Percy. The bartender felt awfully warm all of a sudden. Did Jason always make him feel like he had a fever? Percy tried to remember – he had been in great pain in the trenches in Belgium, and full of adrenaline in Corinth and during the raid on Lindisfarne. He remembered the long nights in the shallop on _The Mayflower. _He had definitely felt warm then, and during that kiss in Chicago, and even before all this started in Athens when he saw Jason on the street, and in the barn in France...

Percy felt light-headed when he remembered what had occurred there, and quickly focused on something else.

“Are you with the police again? Are they going to raid and arrest us?”

“No,” Jason smiled painfully, “I’m gay, you idiot.”

“Oh,” Percy breathed in surprise. Somehow, despite what happened in 1944, he hadn’t pinned Jason down to actually like men in that way, in the same way he did, “B-But what about Phile?”

“Who?” Jason frowned.

“The girl from Athens!” Percy snapped, “The one you almost killed me over!” he must’ve been too loud because the manager, a man named Tom with a mullet, came over. He eyed Jason up dangerously.

“He giving you problems, Perce?” he asked.

“No,” Percy sighed, “He’s an old...acquaintance,” he said. Tom nodded,

“Why don’t you go for a cigarette break, honey?” he asked.

“Thanks,” Percy muttered and slipped past Tom and into the backroom. He pulled on his jacket and stepped into the back alleyway lined with old dumpsters. There was barely any light here save for the light-bulb above the door, but Percy wasn’t scared as he pulled out his cigarettes and lit one.

Jason appeared at the end of the alleyway, and Percy wasn’t even surprised. The blond walked over and silently leaned on the rough brick wall next to Percy. The puddles in the alley were frozen over and the breaths of the two boys clouded in front of their faces.

“You doing anything for Christmas?” Jason asked suddenly. Percy blinked and looked at him. The blond was staring at his shoes and he seemed...nervous?

“No,” Percy huffed out a laugh and took a pull of his cigarette, “I don’t celebrate it.”

“Yeah, but isn’t it nice to be with someone, right?” Jason asked. Percy glared at him.

“What are you getting at?”

“WouldyouliketospendChristmaswithme?” Jason blurted out in one breath.

“What?” Percy asked, gobsmacked.

“Would you-“

“No, I heard,” he interrupted, “But...why?”

“Dunno,” Jason shrugged, “We could...I don’t know. Swap stories. It would be nice not to be alone,” melancholy coloured his voice.

“The war really did make you soft,” Percy laughed.

“So you have someone then?” Jason asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. The tip of his nose was red, it was cute, “A boyfriend or a girlfriend. Children?”

Percy pictured his dark flat a few blocks from here, “No,” he said, breathing out smoke, “But that doesn’t mean I want to spend Christmas with you. I hate you, remember?”

“Oh please!” Jason turned to face him and Percy didn’t remember his eyes being so blue, “No you don’t. You wouldn’t have done..._that..._with me if you did.”

Percy’s eyebrows shot up, “Ever heard of a hate fuck?”

Jason slapped Percy’s cigarette out of his hand, shoved him up against the back door of the club and kissed him roughly. Percy struggled, a little outraged at Jason’s assumption that there was anything between them. Jason kissed him harder but Percy kicked him away. Jason stumbled, his back hitting the opposite wall. They were both panting.

“I love you,” Jason blurted. Percy’s legs shook but he stood his ground.

“Fuck off. You’re crazy.”

His heart filled with an ache, the same ache he felt when he saw Jason parading around with Phile, but he ignored it.

“I’m serious,” Jason said firmly, “I realised during the war, when I had to walk away from that barn, when I had to leave you behind...,” he looked at Percy helplessly, “You have no idea how badly I wanted to run back to you. Leaving you there, not knowing if I would ever see you again, was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”

“Really?!” Percy demanded spitefully, “Because the hardest thing I had to do was be tortured by Romans! Oh wait, actually, maybe it was getting shot in Belgium, now _that _sucked or-“

“I know you feel something too,” Jason interrupted, “I remember that kiss in Chicago.”

Percy faltered, “There was no kiss.”

“Stop lying to me, and stop lying to yourself!”

Clapping echoed through the alleyway, slow and deliberate. Both the boys froze, and suddenly they were on a sun-lit hill in Greece, away from the bustling night life of New York, away from the winter cold.

They turned at the same time, and saw Aphrodite standing a few feet away. She was dressed in a high-neck full body-suit, her hair and eyes shifting. She seemed not to feel the cold. Both the boys fill dread.

“Well, that took you a while,” Aphrodite said merrily, “Three thousand and twenty three years to be precise. I thought this fiasco would end much quicker but alas, you two truly are fools.”

“What are you talking about?” Percy asked coldly.

“The end of the curse,” Aphrodite chuckled, “Oh, Percy. You really are blind; why don’t you tell Jason why you kissed Phile in Athens?”

“Phile?” Jason frowned.

“That fucking girl!” Percy snarled, “The pretty one with the long blonde hair! Your _fiancée.” _

“Oh. Her,” Jason blinked, “Right. Why _did _you kiss her?”

Percy’s face went red, “I-It doesn’t matter. None of it matters anymore.”

“Go on,” Aphrodite purred, “Tell him,” Percy dropped his head and curled his hands into fists, shame and longing filling him up to the brim until he couldn’t manage even a word. “Fine,” Aphrodite sighed, “_I’ll _tell him. Percy kissed your fiancée because he was jealous.”

“Jealous?” Jason frowned, “Why? You could have gotten any girl in Athens-“

“Jealous of _her, _Jason,” Aphrodite interjected. Jason’s eyes widened.

“Y-You...You wanted...me?”

“I don’t anymore,” Percy barked, “Not after everything...a-after everything you...”

“Lie to him, lie to yourself,” Aphrodite smirked, “but you can’t fool me, I am the goddess of love, honey, and you _reek _of love.”

“Percy...,” Jason whispered, taking a step towards him.

“No,” Percy flinched away, “No, I don’t want this.”

“Admit you love him and this whole fiasco ends,” Aphrodite said, “Or don’t. If you look at me right now and tell me you do not love or want him I will take him away and you were never see him again. Jason has fulfilled his end of the curse. So, what say you?”

“I don’t want this,” Percy stared at his shoes.

“_Look at me,” _Aphrodite whispered. Percy dragged his sea-green eyes to the woman. He could feel Jason staring at him, could feel his warmth, his kisses in the barn. His eyes filled with tears. Why was life so _hard?_

“I love him,” he whispered, even though he really didn’t mean to.

Jason rushed to him and pulled Percy into his arms, showering his face in kisses and forgetting Aphrodite completely.

“Me too, me too,” he whispered feverishly, gripping Percy painfully close, “I love you so much, I’m so sorry. We can live together now, we can _be _together. We’ll get a flat and we will-“

Percy blinked. The sunlight bit his eyes and he had to squeeze them shut. When he opened them again it was still awfully bright. He blinked, confused. It had just been night, it had been cold...

Dazed, he looked around. He was standing on a sun-lit hill by an olive tree. At his feet laid his sword, in front of him stood Jason in a toga and sandals, looking equally as confused.

“P-Percy?” he whispered.

“What happened?” Percy muttered. When he turned he saw Athens looming among the hills. His stomach dropped, “D-Did we dream that?” he asked, horrified, “Was that all-“

Jason was in front of him, gripping his face in his hands and kissing him with such force that Percy lost his balance and fell backwards onto the ground. The grass caressed his cheeks as Jason kissed him passionately. Percy melted and pulled the blond against him tightly.

“I don’t care what time this is,” Jason muttered feverishly, “I just know I love you, I will always love only you.”

Percy nodded, in shock. He could still taste the cigarette he had just smoked minutes ago...except cigarettes didn’t exist. There were no bars, no shifts to work. It was all gone.

“We lived for so long thought...,” it was hard to grasp.

Jason stroked his face and looked at him with eyes brimming with love, the sun behind him illuminating his head as if it were a halo, “I know, I remember. All of it.”

They sat up, arms and legs tangled together, and looked out at Athens.

“Did it really happen?” Percy whispered. Jason pulled up his toga suddenly, “Hey, what are you-“

He looked down. The bullet-wound from Belgium was still on his chest. Except Belgium didn’t exist right now, it was part of Gaul. Jason dropped down Percy’s toga. They exhaled and pressed their foreheads together.

“All this because you couldn’t tell me your feelings,” Jason let out a tiny laugh. Percy hit him lightly.

“Shut up,” he muttered. Jason kissed him, and Percy kissed back. He carried the weight of a hundred lives on his shoulders, but in that moment he felt so light.

They pulled apart.

“I love you,” Jason whispered.

“I love you too.”

They looked at the olive tree, but Aphrodite didn’t show up with another quest. They both began to accept that they had moved back in time to when they had started, that none of the things they had experienced had happened yet, but there was no denying that they _had _been there.

“Life without toilet paper is going to be hard,” Jason muttered.

“And vodka,” Percy added, “I’m gonna miss vodka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading. So I'm gonna be uploading randomly on either this or on my new original 'The Hotel.' If ya wanna check that out and give it some love it's about gods and spirits living in a hotel and obvs it's gay af and has lots of angst so if you're interested come check it out since it's probs gonna be updated before this ;)  
Here's the link:  
https://archiveofourown.org/works/23270668/chapters/55728490  
stay safe you guys xx


	20. FWB (Percy x Malcolm)

**Malcolm + Percy friends with benefits but they love each other. Everybody telling them they're gonna get married but they ignore them. Percy finds out Malcolm bone another person and gets super angry and jealous. Then somehow they get together :)  
for Ihatetumblr**

** **

“We’re gonna be late,” Percy muttered, though there was no urgency in his tone, and the giggle that followed suggested he didn’t really care about their punctuality. Malcolm, buried beneath the covers, nipped playfully at the older boy’s hip-bone, almost in reprimand, and then went back to lazily sucking Percy’s dick. The owner of said dick exhaled in capitulation and sank further into the bed, folding his tanned arms behind his head and closing his eyes with bliss, “Y’know what? Fuck em. Waiting twenty minutes won’t kill them.”

“Mhmaffmh,” Malcolm replied with his mouth full, taking Percy all the way down his throat. When they first started doing this, the action would have made Malcolm gag and tear up but now, after four months of sleeping around with his friend, he was a pro at this.

“No idea what you just said,” Percy sighed contently, a lazy smile on his mouth.

It was dark and too-hot under the covers, but above them the morning sunlight made the room too bright and Malcolm felt too shy to give Percy head out in the open. So even if it was stuffy down here, and a little sweaty, he didn’t mind because...well, because it was Percy.

The door to Malcolm’s bedroom burst open. Annoyed the boy sat up, throwing the covers back, “Can you _knock?” _he yelled at his sister, irritated.

Their parents had gone on holiday to Greece, leaving their 19-year old daughter and 18-year old son to look after the house. Now Malcolm sat in his bed, annoyed, glaring at the blond girl, dressed and ready to go.

“Do you mind?” Percy asked, gesturing at his hard, naked dick on display.

“I’ve already seen it,” Annabeth rolled her eyes, unfazed, “But why are you two still in bed?! We’re supposed to be at Jason’s house in twenty minutes and you’re not even dressed!”

“Whatever, whatever,” Percy said dismissively, grabbing Malcolm by his blond curls and pulling his head down. The boy slapped his thigh and wriggled away.

“Ew!” Annabeth exclaimed, “You might be my ex boyfriend but I do _not _need to see you and my brother doing that! Now up and in the shower!”

Percy’s erection wilted, “Fine,” he grumbled and stood up, stretching. He grabbed Malcolm’s towel off the radiator.

“Oi, that’s mine!” the blond protested.

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy walked to the door, kissed Annabeth on the forehead, “Morning, sunshine,” he smiled and blissfully walked to the bathroom.

“I’m gonna make a coffee,” Malcolm tried to slip past the girl.

Annabeth caught her brother’s arm, “I thought he wasn’t supposed to be spending the night,” she said quietly, curtly.

Malcolm looked away, “Um...we were tired and we fell asleep. It’s no biggie,” he shrugged, “It’s not like him sleeping round once will make me fall in love with him.”

Annabeth sighed, “I know,” she stroked her brother’s arm comfortingly, “but you know how I feel about this whole friends with benefits thing. If you have rules in place then stick to them. Don’t let him sleep ‘round again.”

“I won’t,” Malcolm muttered, knowing that Annabeth was right. Waking up in the middle of the night in Percy’s warm, albeit slightly sweaty as per teenage boy, embrace made Malcolm’s heart flutter in a way that the relentless fucking didn’t. Unfortunately Malcolm was already so head over heels for his sister’s ex-boyfriend that the sleeping over didn’t really do much for him.

***

Seven stood beside two cars parked haphazardly in Jason Grace’s driveway, impatient and irritated as Annabeth parked her beat up red pickup truck illegally in the road.

“Finally!” Reyna exclaimed, throwing her hands up as the others started grabbing their backpacks off the driveway, “Where _were _you guys?!”

“Had to wait for these two assholes to get dressed,” Annabeth rolled her eyes, glaring at Malcolm and Percy in the backseat – they smiled at her sheepishly.

“Whatever,” Reyna grumbled and got into the passenger’s seat, “Let’s just get to this damn cabin already.”

“Who shat in _your _coffee?” Annabeth joked, leaning in and pecking her girlfriend on the lips. It seemed to cheer Reyna up a little, but she still grumbled under her breath as the other eight teenagers loaded themselves up in the remaining two cards. Annabeth whacked in the address of Piper’s cabin, where they were going for a week to wait out the July heat by a cool lake, into the GPS.

Annabeth let Jason and Calypso drive their cars first, and then followed behind. Reyna twisted in her seat and looked at Malcolm and Percy, sitting innocently with the empty middle seat between them.

“Why were you at the Chase’s this morning?” she asked outright. Malcolm went red.

“Uh...,” Percy scratched the back of his neck, “I was helping paint the garage.”

Reyna’s eyes narrowed, “They don’t have a garage.”

Annabeth snickered, “He came over to ‘watch a movie’ with Malkie, and happened to fall asleep,” she explained. Reyna’s thick eyebrows shot up.

“Riiiiight,” she said, studying the duo, “So first it was all ‘hey we’re just friends with benefits no strings attached’ and now it’s movie nights and sleeping over?” she smirked mischievously, “Sounds a lot like a relationship to me.”

“Shut up Reyna,” Malcolm said, perhaps a little too sharply. Reyna looked at him in surprise and he cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks burning, “It’s just sex.”

“Ew,” Annabeth interjected.

“Oh so I fell asleep in his bed,” Percy rolled his eyes, “What’s the big deal? It could happen to anyone. Besides,” he reached over and ruffled Malcolm’s curls, “We’re still great buds, that’s all,” he grinned at the younger boy, “Great buds who have great sex.”

“EW!” Annabeth interjected a little louder.

“Whatever you say, lovebirds,” Reyna muttered and turned back to the front. She turned on the radio. Soon they were out on the sun-bathed country roads, with sweet summertime songs pouring from the radio.

Malcolm rolled down his window and closed his eyes as the wind tugged at his hair. He should be happy – he was going on a great summer getaway with all of his friends.

He glanced at Percy. The boy was taking a nap. Malcolm’s heart ached – with each day it was getting harder and harder to pretend that he was just in this for sex. Sure, it started that way, an easy way to let go of some frustrations with someone he was loosely friends with. But now...

Malcolm’s hand crept across the heated leather of the car-seats and towards Percy’s. It was large and tanned, and all Malcolm wanted to do was hold it and go on this trip as a couple, just like everyone else.

He caught Reyna’s eyes in the rear-view mirror and quickly snatched his hand back, gluing his eyes to the road and pretending nothing had happened, even though it was clear what he had been trying to do, and Reyna had definitely seen.

***

The cabin was lovely and secluded, situated by a forest and in front of a large lake. The closest civilisation to them was a large resort on the other side of said lake, which would take over half an hour to get to.

The cabin itself was large, acting as a secluded getaway for Piper’s famous father. The downstairs was lofty and open, with a huge TV, a large fireplace and a connecting kitchen, and upstairs there were four bedrooms out of which two had a single king sized bed in them, and the other two had two singles.

“Dibs the master bedroom!” Piper called as soon as they walked in as the excited group raced upstairs with their bags. The bickering and shoving began as every couple wanted the double room. Eventually, after about ten minutes, Piper and Jason triumphantly settled in the biggest room with a lovely view of the lake. Out of sheer ferocity of the two girls, Reyna and Annabeth snatched up the other double room. A little annoyed, the two other couples consisting of Leo and Calypso, and Frank and Hazel, had to settle for the two singles.

Which left Malcolm and Percy. During the fight they had awkwardly stood to the side as the only non-coupled up people, happy to take whatever was left. But now it seemed there was nothing left for them.

“Uh...Pipes, what about us?” Percy asked.

“Right, you can sleep either on the couches downstairs or in the attic.”

“Attic sounds fun,” Percy said.

“I’ll take the couch,” Malcolm blurted, because suddenly the thought of sharing any space with Percy seemed a little overwhelming.

“Well, there’s two couches,” Piper said, “You guys can just sleep downstairs.”

_Dammit, _Malcolm thought, hands in fists. The situation wasn’t made any better by Percy throwing an arm around his shoulders.

“That’s cool!” he said, “Isn’t it, Malkie?”

“Yeah,” Malcolm muttered.

“Okay!” Leo clapped his hands enthusiastically, “Everyone drop your shit and let’s head to the water!”

***

The sun was high and beating down on the sandy shores of the lake – it was a perfect summer day for a swim.

“Woo-hoo!” Leo yelled, sprinting for the water in his trunks. Reyna, Piper and Percy were hot on his heels and Malcolm watched as the four of them splashed their way into the water. They began wrestling and laughing.

Calypso laid down a towel alongside Jason and Annabeth.

“Well I’m gonna catch a tan,” Hazel declared, lying down on a chair she brought and pulling her sunglasses down onto her face.

“I can’t sunbathe,” Calypso opened up a sun umbrella and began applying sunscreen on her freckly white skin, “I burn like a motherfucker.”

“You guys are so boring,” Annabeth complained, “Let’s go play some volleyball!” she triumphantly pulled out a beach net.

“Annie, this is a _lake _not a beach,” Malcolm said.

“Oh well, little details,” Jason said, “I’ll play.”

“Me too,” Frank said.

“We need a fourth. Malcolm?” Annabeth asked.

“No, I’m okay,” Malcolm said, awkwardly pulling off his t-shirt to reveal his pale torso, “I think I’ll go for the water. Cali, can I borrow some sunscreen?”

“Sure!”

As the redhead lathered him up, the trio managed to coerce Hazel into a game of volleyball. They set off down the sandy shore, and Malcolm left Calypso alone and headed for the water. The four already in had somehow produced an inflatable ball and were now passing it around.

“Oi Malkie!” Percy’s hair was wet and he was grinning, his muscles flexing. He looked like a Greek god and even looking at him was making Malcolm kind of hard. He was glad the water had passed his waist, “Come play!”

“I’m going for a swim!” Malcolm replied hurriedly, and swam past the boy and towards some rocks jutting out of the water further down the lake. He swam around them, so he was out of the view of the group, and leaned his back against one. It was cold.

The boy stared darkly at the Hotel on the other end. _I can’t keep doing this, _he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sound of his friends in the distance. He held his breath and saw how low down the shore was. The water only reached to his nose. He leaned back against the rock, _I need to end things with Percy._

“Where did you run off to?” as if summoned by his thoughts, the older boy popped up around the rock. Before Malcolm could think of an exit strategy, he found himself cornered, with Percy nudging him into a slight alcove in the rock and blocking the exit with his body. He was smiling wide and bright.

“Just wanted some alone time,” Malcolm muttered.

Percy cupped his cheek, “Are you wearing contacts?” he asked, brushing his thumb beneath Malcolm’s eye. The older boy could stand in the water just fine.

“No. I’m scared the water will fuck with them,” Malcolm admitted, “I can see you just fine though.”

“I know,” Percy laughed, “you’re nearsighted.”

“You didn’t follow me to talk about my eye condition,” Malcolm deadpanned. Percy laughed freely.

“No,” he grinned and leaned in, “I didn’t.”

He kissed Malcolm with practiced ease. The blond sighed and leaned into Percy. His skin felt warm from the sun, and he was almost like the rock at Malcolm’s back, strong and stable. Without thinking, the younger boy wrapped his arms around Percy’s neck, parting his mouth to let Percy’s tongue in.

Percy groaned, low in his throat, and pressed their hips together. Malcolm felt his erection against his own, and then Percy started grinding against him, a little clumsy because of the water.

“Stop it,” Malcolm hissed, trying to wrestle Percy off, “Someone will see or hear us-“

“I want you, I want you right now,” Percy muttered needily. Malcolm was surprised by the sudden urgency in his voice, and he started to grind against Malcolm harder, as if he hadn’t seen him in days, as if they hadn’t fucked just the previous night. The rock dug into Malcolm’s back and he really wanted to be cold and strong and show he didn’t need or want Percy, but when the older boy started kissing his neck, all of Malcolm’s protests evaporated from his head.

“T-This is so stupid,” Malcolm whispered urgently, and Percy caught his lips in another wet kiss. Malcolm shivered against the rock, dripping water.

“Cold?” Percy asked, shoving his hand into Malcolm’s trunks.

“_No,” _Malcolm hissed, looking around in a panic, but there was nobody around to see them. Percy’s fingers curled around his cock and the boy grinned devilishly as he started stroking Malcolm under the water. It felt kind of weird, but kind of nice, and all Malcolm could do was glare at Percy.

“You’re adorable when you’re mad,” Percy teased, leaning his free arm on the rock and kissing Malcolm again. The blond gave in, kissing back, and when Percy stroked him a little faster he let out a tiny moan that was swallowed up by the dark-haired boy’s mouth.

Clearly it turned Percy on, “Yeah,” he whispered heatedly, “Come on baby, let me fuck you.”

“A-All you ever want to do is fuck me,” Malcolm huffed out. _I want you to do more. I want you to love me back. _Percy chuckled.

“Course, you’re the best fuck,” he muttered, clearly interpreting Malcolm’s words differently.

They heard splattering near by. Malcolm shoved Percy back.

“Hide!” he hissed.

“Why?” Percy grumbled, “They know we’re friends with benefits-“

But Malcolm, embarrassed at the thought of being caught in such a position out in the open, shoved Percy underwater just as Piper came around the corner.

“There you are!” she said cheerfully, “We were wondering where you wandered off to.”

“O-Oh,” Malcolm forced a smile, “Just admiring the view!” he gestured at the forest and the hotel.

“Mhmm,” Piper said dreamily, “It is really pretty. But aren’t you shortsighted?”

Malcolm felt Percy’s hands on his hips, “U-Uh...y-yeah...I’m wearing contacts though-_ah!” _he squeaked when he felt Percy’s lips wrap around his erection.

“What?” Piper asked, concerned.

“F-Fish,” Malcolm managed, trying to subtly push Percy’s head away underwater. The boy just sucked harder and Malcolm’s eyes almost rolled back into his head, “A-A fish rubbed against me.”

Piper burst out laughing, “Okay,” she grinned, “Have you seen Perce by the way?”

“N-No,” Malcolm swallowed. Percy grabbed his wrists underwater and pinned them to the rock to stop Malcolm from shoving him away, “Think he w-went exploring.”

“Right, okay,” Piper nodded, “I’ll leave you to your sight-seeing,” she said teasingly, and swam away.

Percy burst through the surface, gasping for air and dripping with water.

“Do you reckon she knew I was here?” he gasped out. Malcolm slapped his arm.

“You asshole! How did you hold your breath that long?”

“I have my ways,” Percy grinned and tried to kiss Malcolm. The blond ducked.

“Ew, dick-breath-“

“Shut up,” Percy grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks together, and forcefully kissed him, “Now, where were we?”

“You can’t be serious?” Malcolm hissed, “We’ll get caught for sure.”

“I don’t care,” Percy hoisted Malcolm up a little and in surprise the blond wrapped his legs around his waist. Percy reached between them and freed his dick, sliding it between Malcolm’s ass-cheeks underwater.

“Y-You can’t be serious,” Malcolm gaped at him.

“I am,” Percy replied, and started pushing his dick inside. Malcolm cried out, before slapping his hand over his mouth. He threw his head back against the rock, eyes closed. He panted as Percy sheathed his cock inside of him. It felt hot and throbbing and different.

“O-Oh god,” Malcolm gasped, head spinning. Maybe he was getting heatstroke? “H-Holy shit.”

“God, you’re still loose from last night,” Percy muttered heatedly into the boy’s wet hair, leaning into him. He gave an experimental thrust – the friction was insane.

“T-This feels weird,” Malcolm whimpered as Percy thrust into him again, harder, “A-and dangerous. I-I read that you’re not supposed to do it in water-“

“Shut up,” Percy growled. The water prevented Percy from fucking him particularly fast, but the boy made up for that by shoving his dick ridiculously deep into the blond. Malcolm slumped against him, arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist, and moaned, giving into the pleasure.

***

“...So yeah, the forest was really nice,” Percy concluded as they finished up their dinner at the table – Leo had made fajitas.

“I can’t believe you guys were gone for that long, exploring,” Hazel sighed and leaned her face in her hand, “How romantic. You’re definitely going to get married.”

“Trust me, it was far from romantic,” Malcolm barked as Jason collected the dirty plates.

“Right kids,” Annabeth stood up and clapped her hands, “Off to bed, everyone, but shower first. Tomorrow we’ll go into the little village nearby and get smashed in the evening!”

The group cheered and then the fighting for the single bathroom began. Malcolm managed to get in third and so was happily buried under a blanket on one of the couches near the buzzing fireplace, half-asleep by the time Percy came back downstairs. The cabin was quiet.

Instead of going for his couch, Malcolm felt his own shift, and then Percy plastered himself to his back, kissing his neck. Malcolm elbowed him angrily, and the older boy rolled off the couch and hit the floor with a dull thud and an ‘ouch.’

“Fuck off Percy!”

“What’s with you?” Percy was taken aback, standing up.

“I’m tired,” Malcolm growled, “Besides, we already fucked today, let me rest.”

Percy pouted, “But I’m really hard right now.” He tried to touch Malcolm’s hair but the boy flinched away. He was angry at everything, at himself, at Percy, at this stupid trip. How could he explain to Percy that every time they had sex it hurt his heart? How was he supposed to say that when everyone was joking about their ‘romantic’ walk in the forest, he wanted it to be real?

The boy threw his blanket aside and got on his knees in front of a surprised Percy.

“Fine,” he growled, “I’ll suck you off and then leave me alone.”

“Wait, I don’t want you to do it if you’re not into it-,” Percy started, but Malcolm just tugged his boxers down impatiently. Percy’s cock sprung free and slapped against the blond’s cheek gently. Percy looked down at him, “Malkie...”

Malcolm swallowed his dick. It was heavy against his tongue in a familiar way. He began bobbing his head, careful not to use his teeth even though he was tempted to. His hand wrapped around the hilt and he released Percy’s cock, licking at the head before taking it back down his throat. He didn’t look at Percy, and he was still pissed, just wishing the boy would come and leave him alone.

Percy was being surprisingly gentle. In the light from the fireplace his gaze was soft and warm, and where normally he was all for deepthroating and holding Malcolm’s head in place as he fucked his throat, now his hands slid between the boy’s curls lightly. He massaged his scalp as he sighed in pleasure, before running his fingers down the side of Malcolm’s face.

“That’s good,” he whispered, and it sounded almost loving with how soft it was. It threw Malcolm’s rhythm off, and he ducked and sucked on Percy’s balls to try and gather his bearings, even as his heart pounded. He hurriedly returned to the boy’s dick, licking and sucking at it desperately. _Just come, just come, _he chanted in his head. “You’re so pretty like that,” Percy murmured, and Malcolm felt himself getting aroused.

“S-Shut up,” He pulled off Percy’s dick, breathing hard. A line of spit connected his lips and the boy’s erection.

“C’mere,” Percy murmured, looking hella aroused. He grabbed Malcolm under the arms and half-carried, half-dragged him to the couch. The boy leaned against it, sitting on the floor, and leaned his head back.

Percy smiled, “You know exactly what to do.”

“Hurry up before we get caught,” Malcolm barked. He didn’t like this – the fireplace, the cabin, Percy’s gentleness...it all felt too romantic, too couple-y. This was not the way fuckbuddies fucked.

“Open your mouth,” Percy whispered, so Malcolm did. The older boy slid his cock inside and cradled the sides of Malcolm’s head as he started to slowly fuck his mouth. Malcolm closed his eyes. He wanted to tell Percy to just ram it down his throat, but his mouth was full. Percy continued as gently as never, gasping and moaning quietly.

Intimate. That’s what it was. It was intimate and it was making Malcolm feel weird.

“I_I...,” Percy’s breathing was all over the place, “I-I’m gonna finish really soon.”

He let out a breathy moan, and Malcolm pushed him back. Percy’s dick popped out of his mouth, and the boy came all over Malcolm’s cheek, rubbing his dick against it as his hips jerked forward.

Malcolm gaped at him, then jumped to his feet.

“A-Asshole!” he whisper-yelled, wiping the semen off his cheek.

“I’m sorry!” Percy whispered back, “You could have just swallowed like usual!”

“I don’t want to swallow your fucking cum!” Malcolm snapped. Percy looked hurt.

“Okay. Sorry.”

He climbed back onto his couch and Malcolm stormed to the bathroom to clean himself up. He could hear snoring from Hazel and Frank’s room, and quiet giggling from Leo and Calypso’s. He quietly closed the bathroom door and turned on the light.

He was a dishevelled mess, Percy’s cum still decorating his face like a bitter reminder that he was nothing but a way to get off to Percy. Malcolm stared at himself, and fat tears welled in his eyes.

When did it go from fun to heartbreaking?

***

Malcolm was woken up by fingers trailing over his shoulder. His t-shirt had slump to the side, leaving one exposed, and now the boy felt fingertips against his back. It kind of stung.

He turned around and saw Percy.

“Where did you get all the scratches?” the older boy looked so good it should have been illegal – he sat there cross-legged in a t-shirt and boxers, hair an artful dark mess, eyes half-closed in sleepiness. He kind of needed to shave.

Malcolm sat up, his heart physically aching. _That’s so unfair, _he wanted to shout, _you can’t touch me like that and expect me not to fall for you!_

“Yesterday when we fucked against that rock,” he muttered grumpily, getting up.

Percy winced, “I’m sorry. You should have said something.”

“I did,” Malcolm snapped, “I said it felt weird.”

He headed for the bathroom, glad that it was early enough that everyone was still asleep. A hand grabbing his wrist stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and saw Percy’s sea-green eyes full of worry.

“Am I making you feel good?” he asked, squeezing Malcolm’s wrist.

The blond went bright red, “W-What? What kind of question is that?!”

“It’s just...,” Percy let go of the blond’s wrist and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “You seem annoyed with me. And recently you don’t seem so into the sex...am I doing something wrong?”

Malcolm’s heart throbbed. He realised he was letting his feelings show too much. If he continued like this, along with the joking of all their friends, Percy would put two and two together.

Malcolm slumped, “Sorry,” he said, “I was just having a bad day yesterday.”

“But it’s not just yesterday-“

Malcolm wanted to kiss him, but they never kissed outside of sex. Instead he forced a smile.

“You’re doing everything fine. Now I really need to piss.”

***

Malcolm put up a good facade for the next few days. Because everyone was coupled up he and Percy naturally also got paired off for activities so Malcolm found himself in a kind of daydream. He and Percy would be left alone a lot – they’d go on hikes and to grab coffee. It was nice, until Malcolm realised he was, in his head, pretending Percy was his boyfriend.

On their fourth night at the cabin the group was once again drinking. They were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, on their third crate of beers, laughing and having the best time.

“Okay, okay, I have a question,” Frank said after the laughter after the last joke had ended. He was tipsy and his cheeks were red. He looked at Percy and Malcolm who were – of course – sitting next to each other, “Why won’t you two date?”

The group cheered and clapped at the question and Malcolm went beet red. He tried to find and answer but thankfully Percy answered first, completely unbothered.

“Why is everything about dating with you guys? Why can’t we just have fun?”

“This is more than fun!” Piper wagged her finger at them, “This is loooooove,” she sang and everyone laughed. It was an old joke, but Malcolm didn’t find it funny anymore. Now it just hurt. He picked at a stray thread in the carpet.

“Okay, Percy, but if you had to be together with anyone here, who would you be with?” Hazel pushed. _Stop it, _Malcolm wanted to scream at them, _he obviously doesn’t want me._

“Malcolm,” Percy replied immediately.

“W-What?!” his fuck-buddy spluttered as everyone grinned.

“I knew it!” Hazel proclaimed.

“What?” Percy shrugged, “You’re a good shag and we get on. Besides,” he grinned, “I like you the best!” he put a surprised Malcolm in a headlock, knocking off his glasses as he ruffled his hair, laughing.

Malcolm managed to free himself.

“Aw look at that,” Annabeth cooed, “Percy’s _is _in love.”

“I’m not,” the boy rolled his eyes. He wasn’t looking at Malcolm.

“Oh right, really?” Jason took a sip of his beer, “Then what? You’re gonna go and get yourself a boyfriend or a girlfriend, really?”

“W-Well...,” Percy stammered.

“Oh come on guys,” Reyna snickered, “It’s obvious you’re just gonna end up together. Percy hasn’t so much as kissed anyone else in the last four months.”

“S-So?!” Percy spluttered. Now his cheeks were red too. Malcolm stared at him in shock.

“The biggest player in all of town,” Reyna continued, “and yet you only seem to have eyes for Malcolm.”

“Well I get everything I need from him so why would I need anyone else?” he fired back, getting a little heated.

“Well, Malcolm’s fucked Lee Fletcher so he clearly isn’t getting everything from you,” Leo cracked up, before realising his mistake. A grave silence fell over the room. Malcolm felt his heart in his throat and he didn’t know why – he didn’t do anything wrong...

“You did what?!” Percy’s head snapped to look at Malcolm.

“What?” the blond tried to keep his cool, “It’s not like I need to tell you about all of my sexual escapades.”

“You slept with someone else?” Percy whispered.

“Oh sorry,” Malcolm rolled his eyes, “Is that not allowed?” he asked sarcastically.

Without another word Percy stood up, grabbed Annabeth’s keys from the counter, pulled on his shoes, and walked out of the cabin. The door echoed dully after he slammed it.

The group sat in stunned silence for a moment.

“What...what did I do?” Malcolm didn’t understand Percy’s sudden anger.

“You idiot!” Annabeth groaned, “Go after him! Go!” the urgency in her voice pushed Malcolm to also pull on some shoes and race outside.

He didn’t know why but he felt like everything was falling apart.

Percy was already by Annabeth’s car.

“Wait!” Malcolm yelled, running after him, “Where are you going?!” he demanded, making it through the dark front drive as the angry boy opened the front door of the car.

“For a drive,” Percy gritted. His eyes were dark but he wouldn’t look at Malcolm.

“Why are you mad?” Malcolm didn’t understand, “What did I do?”

“Get in,” Percy growled.

“W-What?”

“Get in or I’ll drive by myself.”

“Percy you’re drunk,” Malcolm stammered, “You can’t!”

“Fine!” Percy grabbed Malcolm’s arm and shoved him into the backseat. The boy flopped backwards, tipsy and confused, and Percy climbed on top of him, pulling the door shut behind them, “We’ll just do it here, so everyone can see if they come outside,” he pulled Malcolm’s t-shirt off as the boy struggled. Everything was happening so fast, so suddenly.

“S-Stop it!” Malcolm was confused, “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“What am _I _doing?! What the fuck were _you _doing with Fletcher?!”

“We never said we were exclusive-“

“You’re mine!” Percy yelled with a sudden desperation that made Malcolm pause and looked at him open-mouthed. Percy’s eyes were brimming with pain and he was shaking with anger, “Y-You’re fucking mine,” he gritted out, “I thought that was obvious.”

“P-Perce-,” Malcolm tried to reach for him to comfort him, but Percy slammed him back down onto the seat.

“I can’t stand it, Malkie,” he whispered feverishly, pinning Malcolm’s hands to the backseat. He buried his face in the boy’s shoulder, “The thought of someone else touching you.”

Malcolm was really struggling to comprehend what he was hearing.

“That’s crazy,” he whispered.

Percy tensed, then laughed hollowly, “My bad. We’re just fuckbuddies right? So let’s fuck!” he swiftly pulled Malcolm’s shorts down – they caught on his shoes.

“We’re not having sex here! Are you crazy?!”

Percy twisted Malcolm around, pressing him down into the seats as he started kissing the back of his neck hungrily. The bright moonlight slipped in through the windows, and Malcolm was forgetting what he was supposed to be doing.

“Jesus Christ Percy,” he groaned as Percy’s hand found his ass. The boy kneaded it roughly between his fingers as he bit the spot where Malcolm’s neck connected to his shoulder. The blond moaned and made a weak attempt at trying to wriggle away, “We c-can’t do it here.”

“Yes we can,” Percy hissed, “And we will.”

Malcolm wished he could see his face and gouge how angry his ‘fuckbuddy’ really was.

“I’m an idiot,” Percy muttered and Malcolm heard his zipper open, “Here I thought I was the only one who got to have sex with you. Well, I guess I _am _stupid,” he shoved two fingers into Malcolm’s mouth unceremoniously – the blond sucked on them automatically, “Dunno if you even need any prep,” Percy’s voice was tight, “You’re probably lose enough from all the dicks you’re taking.”

Malcolm spat out his fingers, “You are _not _going to slut shame me, Percy Jackson,” now _he _was mad.

Percy shoved the two fingers inside of Malcolm. The boy gasped, and Percy pulled up his hips so his ass was in the air as he plunged the digits into him without waiting.

“How many people did you screw?!” Percy panted as he fingered Malcolm violently. The blond whined and grinded against the seat, rock-hard. He knew he should be mad at Percy for the way he was talking to him but the possessiveness and jealousy which Malcolm never expected to come from Percy, were a shockingly huge turn on.

_It’s almost like he likes me back, _the blond thought through a haze of alcohol and pleasure.

“J-Just Lee,” he managed to grit out, “J-Just once.”

“Liar,” Percy snarled, pulling his fingers free and immediately replacing them with his dick. He shoved it in hurriedly and although it was a little too dry, it felt amazing. Malcolm let out a sob as Percy pushed him down with a hand at the back of his neck, digging the fingers of his free hand into the boy’s hip. He started to slam his cock into the blond, “I don’t get it,” he panted, “Why would you want some lousy fucking dick when you can just get me to fuck you?!”

Malcolm’s world was tilting and he couldn’t breathe, “F-Fuck...,” he whimpered, the whole car rocking with Percy’s thrusts, “O-Oh God. S-Slow down..._ngh..._f-fuck...”

“That’s right,” Percy twisted Malcolm’s arms behind his back and leaned down to whisper into the boy’s ear, “I bet he didn’t make you moan like this,” his thrusts sped up impossibly, fuelled by his rage, and Malcolm could just whine and sob, feeling like he was becoming the best wreck, “I’m never letting him touch you again. You’re mine. You’re fucking mine.”

“P-Percy...,” Malcolm gasped, “P-Percy..._please...”_

His dick was rubbing against the seat, and he knew he was close.

“I’m going to come inside you,” Percy’s voice was tinged with desperation as his thrusts got sloppier, “So you know you’re mine. So that-_ah!” _his hips stuttered, “Fuck, _fuck. _God, Malcolm, you’re gonna make me come.”

Malcolm wasn’t even sure who came first, because his world went white. He came to seconds later as Percy was pulling away from him, making a rush of cold air cover his exposed back.

It was silent as they both caught their breaths. Then Malcolm somehow managed to roll over and struggle into a sitting position, feeling like he was in a dream. 

Percy was sat up, looking dazed, and stared out of the front window. The lights in the cabin were all off save for a few upstairs – the part was over.

Percy buried his face in his hands suddenly, reality crashing onto him, “Fuck,” he whispered, “Fuck, I ruined it, didn’t I?”

Malcolm thighs were trembling. Cum pooled on the backseat as it trickled out of him. _Annabeth will kill us, _he thought distractedly. He stared at Percy, desperately trying not to get his hopes up.

The silence had dragged on and so Percy looked at Malcolm. His eyes widened, “Shit,” he whispered, and searched the seats for Malcolm’s t-shirt, a little hectic, “Shit I’m so sorry. Fuck, I didn’t mean to scare you,” when he couldn’t find it he pulled off his own flannel in a panic and wrapped it around Malcolm’s shoulders, squeezing it shut. He looked like he was going to cry, “Malkie. Please say something. Please tell me you don’t hate me. I-I’m sorry for all those things I said. I don’t think you’re a slut.”

“I don’t think I can walk,” Malcolm whispered.

“R-Right. Right. I’m so sorry.”

Percy opened the door and the cold night air stole inside. The older boy managed to manoeuvre around and help Malcolm out. Then, without warning, he picked Malcolm up like he was a rag doll, kicking the car door shut behind him.

Malcolm didn’t protest as Percy carried him to the cabin, burying his face in the boy’s shoulder. It smelled nice. The way Percy was holding him was so tender. Tears gathered in Malcolm’s eyes and he tried to blink them away. He was so overwhelmed with emotion. _You’re mine, you’re mine, _Percy’s words echoed in his head. Did he mean them?

The living room was empty and Percy shut the door before trying to set Malcolm down on the couch. When he went to pull away the boy’s arms tightened around him.

“Malkie,” Percy said gently, “Let go.”

“Fuck me again,” Malcolm whispered. Percy tensed.

“W-What?”

Malcolm pulled his head out of Percy’s shoulder so he could kiss him sloppily. Percy was in shock.

“Malkie...did I break you?”

“No, you idiot,” Malcolm snapped, tugging so Percy ended up having to crawl on top of him or risk crushing the boy. Malcolm let Percy pull away enough so they could look at each other, and glared at the older boy, red faced, “I’m in love with you, so the least you could do is fuck me again.”

Percy stared at him, frozen.

“For fuck’s sake,” Malcolm muttered, impatiently. He didn’t care anymore, he didn’t care that Percy might not feel the same. All he wanted was to forget the confusing questions and drown in pleasure again.

He pulled Percy’s cock free and stroked it until it was fully hard again. Percy hadn’t spoken or moved and was still looking at Malcolm as if he was some kind of alien.

The blond wrapped his legs around Percy’s waist and pulled the boy’s cock inside of himself, using Percy’s cum as lube. Only then Percy snapped out of it.

“Malkie-,” he started, then moaned as gravity did its thing and forced him to bury his dick inside of Malcolm.

“T-There you go,” Malcolm huffed out a hysterical laugh, hugging Percy into himself as he grinded up on his dick, “I-Isn’t this good? It’s just sex, Perce.”

“No it’s not,” Percy pressed their foreheads together and started to thrust shallowly into the boy. Compared to the sex minutes ago this was different; gentle, and intimate, “Are you deaf?” he huffed out, “Did you not hear all that shit I said in the car?”

“D-Did you mean it?” Malcolm asked, then moaned softly. Percy kissed the corner of his mouth, stroking Malcolm’s left cheek with his hand as he hugged his face into the right, rolling his dick into Malcolm at a slow, languid pace.

“Yes,” Percy choked out, “I-I want to be with you. I love you too. So, so much.”

Malcolm kissed him feverishly. Under any other circumstance he would have questioned Percy, but after what happened in the car he knew the boy meant it.

“I love you,” Malcolm murmured, “I love you so much. I won’t fuck anyone else, I promise..._ah..._I-I’m yours, Perce...”

***

Annabeth and Reyna were woken up at the butt-crack of dawn by Percy and Malcolm, all showered, bags in hand.

“Did you guys make up?” Annabeth askd groggily.

“Yes,” Percy said cheerfully, “And we’re a couple now.”

“What?!” the girls sat up, “Oh my God! That’s great!”

“Yup, it is,” Malcolm dropped his bag down on the floor, “So, as we are now an official couple, this room is ours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates guys! Hope you enjoyed this and if you're bored and wanna read some more smutty gay stuff check out my original work The Hotel ;)


	21. Your Neighbour's Crippling Caffeine Addiction (Jason x Nico)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updating guys <3

**Person A basically ignores everything and everyone in the mornings until he gets his coffee. He sometimes, very rarely, does pay attention. It would have to be a very major event, like a fire or someone breaking in. Person B likes to try to get A’s attention every morning. In one attempt, he “confesses his love” which could either snap A out of his daze or make A bring it up later on.   
For 1randomperson15**

** **

It was no secret in Camp Jupiter that Nico di Angelo could not function without his morning coffee, and ever since he temporarily moved into one of the dormitories, next door to Jason, his other neighbours found great joy in seeing just how far they could go without Nico paying attention to his surroundings. And Jason, although not usually one to partake in pranks and shenanigans, was at the head of this practice, because he had a terrible habit of not being to stay away when Nico was involved.

***

“Ready?” Jason whispered to Dakota, who nodded with a gleam in his eye, the rope loosely in his hands. It was attached to the bucket of ice-cold water hanging above Nico’s bedroom door, “Any minute now,” the blond muttered.

And sure enough Nico’s door opened. He was in his pyjamas, a black t-shirt with a skull on it, and some fluffy, offendingly purple bottoms. His hair stuck out in all directions and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Now!” Jason yelled, and Dakota pulled on the rope. The bucket flipped and the water fell onto Nico, drenching him. The onlookers, who had been hiding behind nearby bedroom doors, exploded onto the hallway, cackling.

“Gotcha!”

“Aw, Neeks, you’re soaked!”

“You look hilarious!”

Sure enough Nico’s hair was now plastered to his face. But he didn’t look any more awake. He looked at his neighbours in a daze, then turned and shuffled down the hallway and towards the kitchen. The laughter died away as the campers watched him go in shock.

“What the hell?!” Dakota lamented, “All that work for nothing! He didn’t even flinch!”

“I don’t think there’s anything that could get him to pay attention so early in the morning,” Michael Kahale scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s almost noon!”

“Okay! How was I supposed to know the Prince of the Underworld sleeps in so late?!”

“He takes his coffee with a lot of milk and sugar too! He doesn’t look like the type who would!”

Jason smiled as the boys started bickering among each other. He was glad his sixteen year old friend was settling into Camp Jupiter, and he was glad he finally had so many friends. He knew first hand how lonely and bitter Nico used to be.

***

With Camp Jupiter going into quarantine and nobody being allowed in or out during the pandemic, the shenanigans of Jason’s neighbours only intensified as boredom settled in.

“This is kinda mean,” Jason protested as Michael poured salt into a little bottle of semi-skimmed milk that had NICO written on it in black sharpie, alongside _do not drink or I will personally send you to the underworld >:( _underneath.

“It’s fine,” Dakota snickered as Michael closed the milk and put it back in their joint fridge, “This will definitely work, and it will be hilarious.”

Jason had to admit he was curious to see Nico’s reaction at drinking salty milk.

“He’s coming!” Bobby hissed from the door, where he was lookout. The four boys scrambled to one of the four tables situated in the big kitchen, and pretended they were overly interested in their cereal.

Nico shuffled in, zombie-like, in fluffy socks and fluffier hair, gaze unfocused.

“Good morning Nico!” the boys echoed together. Nico, of course, didn’t acknowledge them or even seem to hear them at all. He opened his cupboard and stood on his tiptoes, pulling down a huge black mug with a skull and crossbones on it. It looked like a pirate’s cup.

The four culprits leaned in, watching Nico closely as he absent-mindedly turned on the kettle. He poured three teaspoons of instant coffee into the cup, followed by four teaspoons of sugar. The kettle clicked – Nico poured the water over his coffee. Steam and the familiar smell filled the kitchen as Nico struggled to get the fridge open, tugging weakly. When it finally popped open, the boy pulled out the wretched milk.

Dakota snickered, Jason elbowed him in the ribs and silently gestured at him to be quiet. The tension was palpable in the air as Nico poured a copious amount of milk into a coffee, then stirred.

He lifted the mug to his face with two hands. Jason held his breath. Nico took a long, deep sip.

Nothing.

The four boys exchanged confused looks. Nico took another deep sip, then another. When he turned around he looked a little bit more alert and gave his flatmates a sleepy smile that made Jason feel like he was made of jelly.

“Morning you guys,” he said hoarsely, and then padded out of the kitchen.

“That’s it!” Dakota slapped his hands on the table, “There is something very wrong with him!”

“Maybe he’s dead,” Bobby theorized in an emotional whisper, “Maybe Hades brought him back and he’s actually dead and can’t feel anything!”

Michael walked to the fridge and took a swing of Nico’s milk. He started sputtering and ran to the sink to wash his mouth out. Jason smiled.

***

Nico felt like he had tunnel vision, but that was normal. He walked out of his room and his brain failed to register anything – what the weather was like, what he was wearing, if anybody was around. He heard muffled sounds but it was like he was underwater and the only thing he could think about was _coffee, coffee, coffee. _He yearned for the sweet, milky substance that would breathe life into his exhausted form. Insomnia was a bitch.

His feet took him to the kitchen automatically, without him so much as sparing a thought to where he was going. His eyes locked on the kettle – it was the only thing he could see. Thankfully there was water inside. He turned it on and the rumble of the water as it boiled filled Nico with warmth. Next the coffee – he unscrewed the lid and the heavenly smell filled his nostrils. He would have smiled if he had the energy to. Then the sugar, the deliciously cold milk.

When his coffee was ready, a perfect light brown colour, Nico took a long sip. It felt like energy spread through his veins instead of blood and he sighed happily.

“Hi, Neeks,” the voice sounded distant and with some difficulty Nico turned his head.

A blond guy stood next to him, wearing a skirt. Nico didn’t question it. _Jason. _He took another sip, regaining a tiny bit more awareness – the darkness around his vision eased up a bit.

“Hi, Jason,” he croaked, and then shuffled out of the kitchen with his cup of life.

***

Nico walked into the kitchen, dead as always. It was 11:30am. The four boys who had been trying to wake him up in the morning for over three weeks now all turned to him, their skirts swishing as they did.

“Hi Nico!” they said together cheerfully, looking like idiots.

Nico didn’t even spare them a second glance.

***

Nico was slowly preparing his coffee – this morning he had to fill up the kettle since it was empty, and he was kind of struggling, sluggishly holding it under the tap as the water drenched the sleeve of his pj top – he didn’t seem to notice.

“This is ridiculous,” Dakota whispered as the four boys huddled in the doorway.

“I think we have to accept defeat,” Jason sighed, focusing a little too much on Nico’s pale calves. _Stop staring, stop staring. _He really did feel like a creep sometimes.

“No way,” Bobby snapped.

“Yeah, we haven’t come all this way only to give up,” Michael added dramatically.

The boys stared at Nico for a minute, all thinking about what else they could try.

“We could say there’s a fire?” Bobby offered innocently.

“No,” Jason snapped, “That’s dangerous.”

“You’re right,” Michael sighed, “So then-“

Dakota clicked his fingers, “I know!” he got a triumphant look on his face, “Someone needs to kiss him! That’s sure to get his attention!”

“W-What?” Jason spluttered.

“Jason should do it,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, yeah, Jason.”

“_What?!” _Jason hissed in panic. His heart started to hammer and his face went beet red.

“What’s the problem Jas?” Bobby snickered, “It’s just a little kiss, why you getting all red for.”

“I think this is a stupid idea-,” Jason started, but Michael shoved him forward and into the kitchen. The blond turned to glare at his friends.

“Just kiss him!” Dakota hissed with a wicked grin, shoving a panicking Jason into the kitchen, “Go on it’ll be funny! If this doesn’t work we’ll stop!”

The other boys snickered, egging him on in whispers and Jason, red-faced, found himself standing directly behind Nico as the boy struggled to open his new milk, swaying like a willow in the wind. Jason was tense, he looked back at his friends crowded in the door, and they all gave him the thumbs-up. And what was he meant to do? It wasn’t a big deal, he just needed to quickly kiss Nico...and it wasn’t like he could just explain to the other campers that he had a crush on the Italian, because then he’d never hear the end of it.

“Just do it!”

Jason gathered up his courage, grabbed Nico by the shoulder, and turned him around. The Italian looked at him blankly – _this might be my only chance to do this, _Jason thought and he leaned down and quickly pecked Nico on the mouth. It was painfully awkward and Jason jumped back immediately, heart threatening to pounce from his chest. _I did it, I did it, I did it, _he thought, half in elation and half in panic.

Nico stood there for a moment, then as if nothing happened he turned back to his coffee and finished making it. Dakota, Michael and Bobby walked in, picking their jaws up off the floor.

“What the hell was that?!” Dakota exclaimed.

“He is a god,” Bobby shook his head in defeat, “He can not be moved!”

Jason just stood there, hands in fists, blushing like a teenage girl and feeling kind of sick. Nico took three long sips of his coffee. Then he walked to the door. _He really didn’t notice at all, _Jason thought, heart clenching painfully.

Just as Nico was about to walk out, he turned to the boys and locked eyes with Jason. He looked exhausted, but a small smile appeared on his lips, “Next time don’t kiss me in the morning,” he said quietly, “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” he yawned and walked out.

Jason gaped after him.

“HE NOTICED!” his free partners in crime started bouncing around the kitchen, yelling in excitment and punching the air, “WE WIN!!!”

Jason just stood there. He bit his bottom lip to stop a smile spreading on his face, but it appeared anyway.


	22. ‘curly haired twink fucked by blond hunk’ (Jason/Leo)

**Modern college au where Leo and Jason are best friends and live together. Leo is hopelessly in love with Jason but he hasn't told him cause he thinks Jason will reject him. One day, he's watching porn in his room and Jason walks in on him, seeing the screen which has a man that looks a lot like Jason. It's awkward between them for a while but they make up with love confessions and sex.   
for ranisivani**

** **

Leo knew what he was doing was kinda gross and a definite violate of _some _kind of friendship slash roommate rules, but it wasn’t like he didn’t feel guilty about it! Besides, googling ‘curly haired twink fucked by blond hunk’ into PornHub wasn’t a _clear _admission of the fact he was in love with his best friend Jason, maybe Leo just liked curly haired Latino twinks getting railed by blond hunks in all and every way!

Leo had this internal fight with himself every time that hot, desperate desire came clawing at his stomach at 4am. On those nights where Jason was asleep just a few feet away in a narrow bed identical to Leo’s, in their cramped one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment that was _way _too small for both of them but which the freshly-out-of-college boys could not afford alone, Leo would sneak away into the bathroom to pathetically jerk himself over the toilet while biting down on his bottom lip so hard that he could taste blood in his mouth. However on the nights that Jason was at work in the bar and not back yet, Leo would give into those primal urges, open up his laptop and listen to the inorganic sound of skin slapping on skin, eyes glued to the screen and hand curled around his dick as he helplessly fantasises about Jason doing all the things the pornstars were doing with him.

He knew it was wrong, he knew if Jason ever found out he’d be disgusted and would move out and the friendship would be ruined. He had tried to confess his feelings to the blond many times, the feelings that had brewed quietly under the surface when they went to college together, but now threatened to spill over like lava and ruin _everything. _But no matter how hard Leo tried – or maybe he wasn’t trying hard enough – Jason never took him seriously. No matter how many times Leo sat next to the blond and in a serious, trembling voice told him ‘Jason, I love you,’ the response would always be the same – Jason would grin, as if Leo had cracked a joke, and ruffle his hair while saying ‘I know, I love you too buddy.’ And with that little ‘buddy’ at the end, Leo would lose the bravery he had been building up for weeks and retreat back inside himself with his feelings.

Tonight Jason was at work, and the stifling heat of New York’s summer woke Leo up at 3:30am, clammy with sweat with his curls sticking to his forehead. He laid there for a moment, listening to the quiet hum of the fan as it blew cold air onto his heated face, and to the sound of cars and people going to and from bars outside, shouting to each other. He closed his eyes and tried to fight the warmth, to go back into the damp embrace of sleep...

After a few minutes he gave up and glared tiredly at the dark ceiling above – the gaps in the blinds sent dashes of neon lights sprawling across the walls, and Leo reached for his phone. He had a few notifications, but nothing from Jason. More out of boredom than anything else, he sluggishly typed out a text.

You_: Hey, how’s work treating ya? Sleeping is hard when you live in the devil’s asshole_

He put his phone away, knowing Jason could probably not reply for a while, and yawned, stretching. His eyes landed on his roommate’s neatly done up bed, waiting for him to return exhausted from his shift in a few hours. Leo bit his lip. The heat that was slowly spreading from his gut had nothing to do with the stifling hot summer.

He turned his back to Jason’s bed and pressed his forehead against the cold wall, trying to cool down. All it did was make him more aware of the burning arousal in him. Leo reached down and palmed himself through his boxers, feeling how hard he was getting. It wasn’t like he was even _thinking _about Jason!- well, _now _he was, now his head was suddenly filled with the other man, the one blond lock of hair that could never stay pushed back, his large hands, the scar above his lip that Leo wanted to kiss, his shoulders, his stomach, his...

Leo reached for his laptop; if he had to do this at least he wanted to create an illusion of not masturbating over Jason, even though it was exactly what was happening. He was so busy looking for the perfect video that he didn’t see his phone light up.

Blondie: _Hey, got let off early. Gonna be home in 10 and we can wallow in this heat together ;)_

***

Jason’s work hasn’t been as busy as always, maybe because it was a Wednesday, or maybe it was because they ran out of ice and their sweaty, frustrated patrons filtered off somewhere else, but Jason’s manager had let him go home early. The blond was thankful – wadding through the crowds of drunks on the streets and feeling his t-shirt sticking to his body with sweat, the only thing he wanted was a cold shower and one of the beers they had in the fridge. Leo was up, Jason had gotten his text, and the prospect of maybe staying up with his best friend for an hour more, maybe firing up their old Xbox, was thrilling.

He let himself into the flat and toed off his shoes, “I’m home!” he called semi-loudly in case Leo had gone back to sleep. In the distance police sirens blared and Jason didn’t bother turning on the light as he dropped his backpack onto the floor. He shuffled to the kitchen, washed his hands and took a few delicious gulps of a fresh beer, so cold he couldn’t even taste the flavour. Then, beer in hand, he walked to his and Leo’s shared bedroom.

The door was open as always just so the two of them could keep the air circulating throughout the flat, and the blue light falling on the floor made Jason think Leo was watching a movie. And then Jason heard the sounds; the moaning, the slapping of skin. _Is he watching porn? _Jason stopped in the doorway and put his beer down on a cabinet as his eyes made out Leo in the semi-darkness of the room. His ears prickled. All he could hear were whiny male moans, and then grunts..._is he watching gay porn?!_

Sure enough porn was playing on Leo’s laptop screen, which was at the foot of the bed, facing away from Jason. In the blue hue Jason could see Leo, who was so focused on whatever was going on on-screen that he didn’t notice the blond in the door.

Jason’s mouth went dry. Leo was completely naked and covered in a thin film of sweat, his hand wrapped around his painfully hard dick. He was breathing harshly, brows furrowed as he watched his porn, tongue slipping out to wet his bottom lip every few seconds. His free hand disappeared between his legs and it took Jason a few seconds to realise that the wet, squelching sound wasn’t coming from the porn, and that Leo was fingering himself.

Jason’s world tilted a little and the hotness of the air was suddenly too intense, making him feel light-headed. Or maybe it had nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with how Leo looked, how obscenely loud the sound of his fingers plunging into himself was even over the porn.

“Leo,” Jason said quietly, mouth so dry the word came out strained. He could feel a throbbing and a tightness and he realised he was rock hard, and he didn’t know why, and...

Leo screwed his eyes shut, his thighs sliding open just a little bit as he let out a choked off moan that was so much more arousing than the fake, loud moans coming from the screen. Jason’s hand gripped the door painfully.

“_Leo.” _He said again, louder.

Leo looked up, eyes half-open and dazed. His gaze met Jason’s and his eyes widened; he made a choked noise like a squealing pig and started scrambling, jumping to his feet on the bed and knocking the laptop off in the process. The porn continued to play, the theatrical moaning filling the room as Jason’s eyes focused on the screen, which was now laying sideways on the floor, facing him.

The image he was blessed with was of a muscular, tanned, blond pornstar who looked like the poster child for Australian surfers, ploughing a considerably smaller, curly haired boy, who’s mouth was open in a perfect ‘o’ releasing forth a litany of piercing moans.

The resemblance to Jason and Leo was...uncanny.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” after what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds, Leo dove onto the floor and slammed the laptop shut, and the moans sounded for a few more seconds as it lagged, and then the room went dark and silent. Leo was on his knees on the floor, body curled around the treacherous laptop as if it was a grenade.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. Jason was dazed. All he could picture in his head is the two pornstars he just saw, except the more he visualised it, the more it looked like him and Leo. That did nothing to ease his boner.

“Uh-uh,” he managed, “S-So you’re gay?”

“Bisexual,” Leo squeaked.

“Okay. That’s okay,” Jason swallowed, “I’ve got no problems with it, I just-“

“The porn was just random,” Leo blurted, then realise he dug himself a grave, “I-I mean, uh, like...it was just some r-random porn I was watching, it...it didn’t mean anything,” he finished weakly.

“Right,” Jason muttered.

Leo looked up fearfully, as if expecting Jason to hit him or something, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Jason’s erection pressing up against his work trousers. His eyes widened into plates and his death grip on his laptop loosened a bit.

“O-Oh...”

“Were you watching porn of our look-alikes?” Jason blurted, a little embarrassed, ears burning red.

Leo was staring at his crotch, entranced, “Yup,” he admitted immediately.

“Leo. Eyes up here.”

Leo dragged his gaze away from Jason’s erection which stubbornly would not go away, and their eyes met. They stared at each other in the stuffy interior of their bedroom, the fan whirring quietly in the back and ruffling Leo’s curls from behind. Jason couldn’t really see his expression very well, but could see the sparkle in his eyes. He realised he was holding his breath.

Slowly Jason got on his knees in front of Leo, unsure of what he was even really doing. When they were face to face he could feel the Latino’s warm breath on his face. Leo was still staring at him, like a deer waiting for him to make the next move. It was unbearably hot in the room, and Jason’s work shirt stuck to him.

And then Jason realised he had no idea what to do next.

“I love you,” Leo blurted.

Jason pulled the naked boy up against him, immediately feeling his body heat through his own shirt as Leo plastered himself against him. They met halfway for an expectant, messy kiss full of tongue and teeth, gripping onto each other with a sudden determination that if they let go they’re going to have to talk about this.

It wasn’t like Jason had _thought _about doing this – sure a wet dream here and there, a fleeting thought when he saw Leo shirtless – but now that it was happening he had no idea why it hadn’t happened sooner. Leo tasted sweet, and he was burning hot as if he had a fever, and the little gasps he made as Jason pushed him backwards onto the floor, still kissing him feverishly, were _everything. _The blond’s erection found its way onto Leo’s inner thigh and before Jason could control himself, or stop to think, he was grinding up against it. Leo moaned into his mouth, and Jason gripped him a little harder. The Latino seemed to like that, because seconds later he had his legs wrapped around Jason’s waist, pulling him in closer so that their erections rubbed together. Jason choked on a moan, and pulled away from the kiss to pant; Leo was so short he had to arch his back and angle his head up in order to have his hips against Jason’s, but also to kiss Jason.

“Do you wanna have sex?” Jason huffed out in a very un-sexy and not porn like way at all. Leo didn’t seem to care, red-faced, as he nodded eagerly in a movement that reminded Jason of a puppy. The blond gladly pulled off his shirt and wriggled out of his pants and underwear, and the fan cooled the sweat on his skin only for a second before he was back between Leo’s legs, this time grinding their naked cocks together.

“O-Oh fuck,” Jason dropped his head onto Leo’s sweaty shoulder, wrapping his arms all the way around the boy. Leo’s fingers slid into Jason’s hair as he let out little breathy, whispery moans.

“You can just slide in,” his voice sounded strained, “I-I’ve like prepped and stuff...”

“Aha, okay, yeah,” Jason whispered feverishly, and suddenly it was all he wanted. He thought briefly ‘condom?’ but he hadn’t fucked anyone since Piper, and Leo...well, it was _Leo, _and he probably hadn’t fucked anyone and-

The Latino reached between them and Jason found that the head of his cock, coated in precum, was now at the entrance of something hot and warm and tight and _fuck. _Jason moaned as he slid into Leo. There was something impossibly erotic about how easy it was.

“Ohhh..._oh..._okay, f-fuck, fuck...s-shit..._ah...,_” moans spilled from Leo’s mouth, but they were nothing like the ones from the porn. They were so much sweeter, and more compelling, and wonderful.

Jason fitted himself into the Latino, gasping harshly into his neck which he began to kiss as soon as the wonderful feeling of being inside the boy subsided enough that he once again had control over his mouth.

“_Jason,” _Leo whined, and Jason started to rock into him. The Latino gripped at his hair, his sweaty back, digging his short nails into the blond’s skin.

“There you go,” Jason muttered, completely overwhelmed by pleasure as he slid in and out of the boy, “you’re so perfect.” He didn’t know where that came from but it felt so right to say.

When Jason started fucking Leo harder the Latino let go of him and laid against the floor, panting and moaning and clawing at the carpet, hips arched up towards his roommate. Jason drank him in, trying to keep his rhythm going, and suddenly he regretted doing it like this, hot and dirty on their floor. Suddenly he wanted to see Leo properly, to take proper care of him...

“F-Fuck,” Leo didn’t seem to mind as his helpless moans continued forth, “G-God, that’s so good Jas...”

The heat inside Jason was much more unbearable than the heat in the room. He slammed into Leo a little harder, punching a moan out of him, and a thought suddenly overtook him.

“Say you love me again,” Jason grunted.

“I love you,” Leo gasped, open, willing to give Jason anything he wanted.

Jason could’ve cried. He leaned over Leo, pinning his hands to the floor and pressing their foreheads together, “Fuck I love you too,” he whimpered, and even though the position was a little awkward because of the height difference, neither of them cared.

Loud, obnoxious moans filled the room and both the boys froze, looking at each other in surprise. The laptop had slid open and the porn had resumed playing – realising this, both Jason and Leo burst out into hysterical giggles, laughing into each other’s mouths.


End file.
